After six grueling days on their feet in the factory, workers looked foward to a day of
rest...
...in the pews of St. Anne's Church! I'm Ranger Andy
and this is Behind the Park.
By the end of 1822 Kirk Boott, a mill agent in Lowell,
appointed a committee to begin construction of a church that the mill
operatives with attend on Sundays.
Two years, and 12,000 later, St. Anne's Episcopal Church opened its
doors for the first time.
on March 7th 1824. Let's take a look, shall we?
The construction of this church is very unique
that's because it is composed of granite dug up from the Merrimack Canal
called rubblestone. While there may not be any buttresses to be found,
there were numerous butts here every Sunday, like that Benjamin Butler
and Kirk Boott.
Adorning the walls are a number of stained glass windows.
These windows are made of Tiffany glass. Now what's a church without some good organ music.
Here rests a four manual hook & Hastings Organ
Originally, installed with three manuals in 1884
with the fourth added in 1928. Have you ever wondered what the inside of an organ
looks like?
Well, let's take a look inside! Scalpel please.
Just kidding!
In 1884, this part of the church was built to specifically house the three
thousand-plus organ pipes.
If you take a close look you will notice that the pipes are made up of wood and metal.
Also of note in this church is the upstairs gallery and belfry.
As we continue our way upstairs you'll see the controls for the 11 metal bells
at the church.
With a simple pull, each lever rings one of the bells on the next floor up.
At the top at the belfry, you'll find eleven bells. Installed in 1857
each of the bells have their own pitch and were individually donated by 11 separate families.
In total the bells weight five tons and cost four hundred dollars total,
roughly 100 thousand dollars in today's economy.
These bells play every Sunday morning at 9:45 a.m.,
on special occasions, and after funerals.
Currently, Saint Annes holds services in both English and Spanish and is open to self guided
public tours during the summer.
So come on down and take a tour. And for more information on Saint Anne's
go to their website at
www.StAnnesLowell.org.
But wait, there's more! Come on down to Lowell National Historical Park
to explore more historic sites
and even the city's canal system. more information check out our website at
www.nps.gov/lowe
or you give us a call
at 978 970 5000
I'm Ranger Andy and live long and prosper!