Boott Cotton Mills Museum

 

 

Boott Cotton Mills Museum

115 John Street

The Boott Cotton Mills Museum at Lowell National Historical Park is the best place to learn about Lowell’s industrial past. Explore the stories of the workers, engineers, inventors, and investors who made Lowell the first successful planned industrial city in the United States. Learn more about the city’s role as a cutting-edge developer of technology and hub of economic change in the American Industrial Revolution.

Hours of Operation

April 26 - August 31, 2025

Open Daily
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

 

The Information Desk at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum

James Higgins

Information Desk

The Information Desk is the perfect place to start your visit to the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. Talk to a park ranger to learn more about the museum and to purchase your ticket (prices below). This is also where you can purchase an America the Beautiful Parks Pass and sign up for tours. The Boott Cotton Mills Museum also has its own passport stamp, which you can find here.

Museum Entry Prices*:
Adults - $6.00
Seniors (62+) - $4.00
Youths (6-16) - $3.00
Students (16+ with ID) - $4.00
Children (5 and under) - FREE

*Museum prices can be discounted if you have an America the Beautiful Parks Pass, or if you purchase a package deal which includes a boat tour.

 

Boott Cotton Mills Museum Weave Room

NPS

Weave Room

Past the Information Desk lies one of the museum’s highlights: an expansive weave room packed with over eighty historic power looms from the 1920s that is still weaving cotton cloth! Experience just a fraction of what Lowell’s mill girls and immigrant laborers would have seen, heard, smelled and felt when they worked in the mills. See the looms in action and talk with knowledgeable rangers and weavers during an interpretive demonstration. Demonstrations occur periodically throughout the day. Loom demonstrations conclude by 4:15 p.m. daily.

 

Visitor interacting with the stories of enslaved people.

Kevin Coffee

Lowell: Visions of Industrial America Exhibit

The main exhibit at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, Lowell: Visions of America covers Lowell’s history from the time it was known as East Chelmsford in the 1700s through the modern day, with a focus on the city of Lowell’s time as a leading innovator and economic center in the American Industrial Revolution. While exploring the museum, visitors can travel through time. By using interactive activities and listening to personal narratives they can engage with the stories of people and industry in many ways. A park ranger or volunteer is always available on the second floor to answer questions offer talks about Lowell history.

 

Henry Fourner working as a sweeper and cleaner in Salem, MA. 1911

Lewis Hine

Child Labor: Documentary Photography and the Quest for Reform Exhibit

This exhibit centers on the work of two photographers, Lewis Wickes Hine and Dr. David L. Parker, who documented the injustices of child labor to bring attention to the children's plight. Hine's images, captured in the early 20th century, highlight child workers across America. Dr. Parker's images reflect the international experience of child workers in the 1990s.

 

Boott Museum Theater

Features the park introductory film, highlighting the stories of Lowell and the creation of the national park. Plays on a loop, enter and leave the theater at any time during regular operating hours.

 

Books and merchandise available at the Park Store

NPS

Park Store

Looking for a guide to the park's history? Searching for an educational souvenir of your visit to Lowell? Start your search at the Park Store. America's National Parks, the park's cooperating association, operates on the first floor of the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. A portion of America's National Parks' proceeds are returned to the park.

 

Parking

Paid parking is available in the Joseph Downes city parking garage, located at 75 John Street, one block from the Boott Cotton Mills Museum.

Disability designated parking spaces are provided in the city parking garage at 75 John Street. The garage has a height limitation of 6' 8" for vehicles. Vehicles that display disability license plates or a hanging placard may also park at no cost in any designated parking space within the City of Lowell.

 

Accessibility

For Visitors With Mobility Impairments:

The Boott Cotton Mills Museum is fully accessible. A wheelchair loan is available on a first-come, first-serve basis and is free of charge. Inquire at the National Park Service information desk for more information.

Service dogs are welcomed throughout the Park, on tours and in all facilities. For more information about service animals, please refer to the ADA service dog guidelines.

For Visitors With Hearing Impairments:

A variety of written information is available in the Boott Cotton Mills Museum information desk. All films throughout the museum feature captions. Please ask a staff member for more information.

 

Places to Go

• 

  Mogan Cultural Center
• 

  Northern Canal Walkway