Kerouac family home on Phebe Avenue, Lowell
The Kerouac family live in the pale blue house on the right (Nr.16) from 1932 to 1935 (Thanks to Dave Moore for providing the exact dates) The Kerouac home in 1932 (the building on the right of the photo) Phebe Avenue, looking northeast towards Dracut
Textile Institute, Lowell
Kerouac wrote about the then ‘Lowell Textile Institute’, which is now part of the University of Massachusetts, in a number of his books, especially ‘Maggie Casssidy’ – no wonder, since he had to pass it on the way from the house on Phoebe Avenue the family lived in for some time, on the way to … Continue reading
Entering Lowell / Entering Dracut
Kerouac’s home turf in the first few years of his life when the family lived in Centralville, the house he was born in on Lupine Rd is just a few streets away from where these photographs were taken.
Bridge Street, Lowell
Jack Kerouac’s dad Leo did run a print shop on Bridge Street in the 1930’s. When the 1936 flood hit Lowell and flooded parts of the city the shops was badly damaged and Leo Kerouac had to give it up. These photos were taken coming from downtown Lowell and crossing the bridge in the direction … Continue reading
The Cassidys
Like many on my blog, this is a highly speculative post. Both photos were taken from Chelmsford Street in south Lowell, but not in the part of Lowell that is actually called ‘South Lowell’. In the book Maggie Cassidy the Cassidys live at 31, Massachusetts Street, but that street doesn’t actually exist (at least not … Continue reading
Arriving in Lowell
Some of the first sights I encountered getting off the train at Lowell. Of course freight trains and Kerouac are mainly associated with his time in California, but I had to take a few photos of these freights anyway. That old industrial building opposite the rather unexciting present day Lowell train station (in Kerouac’s time … Continue reading
The 11:10 am to Lowell
North Station, Boston, MA Waiting for the train to take me to Lowell, Jack Kerouac’s birth town, and I was suitably excited.
Sometimes Way out of town, say miles out on East Colfax, Cody, waiting for a bus, or a ride …
The above quote is taken from page 109 of ‘Visions Of Cody’ (Flamingo Modern Classic Edition), but East Colfax Avenue is mentioned quite a few times throughout the book. I had a little walk on East Colfax Avenue and found it not especially nice, but I can see the appeal to Kerouac with its myriad … Continue reading
Larimer St. Market, Denver
There is no direct reference to this building or a shop called Larimer St. Market I know of in any of Kerouac’s books, but knowing him and his writings it’s all too easy to picture him, Neal Cassady or ‘Old Dean Moriarty’ (aka Neal Cassady’s father) getting their cigarettes and other supplies in here…
Retracing Jack Kerouac 