UMass Lowell’s story began in 1894 on the banks of the Merrimack River in the heart of the American Industrial Revolution. From their earliest days, the Lowell Normal School and the Lowell Textile School took pride in serving the region’s hardworking students.
Lowell Normal School students started their first classes in 1897.
In 1897, the first Lowell Textile School students began studying in downtown Lowell.
Lowell Textile School’s class of 1900 held the wrenches and hammers that were common in the textile industry.
Around 1905, Lowell Normal School students wore bloomers and long-sleeved blouses to play basketball.
In geography class, Lowell Normal School students sketched the landscape of South America in 1905.
Sports became an integral part of student life at Lowell Textile School starting in 1905 when players suited up to play baseball.
In 1905, students at the Lowell Normal School studied chemistry with the latest equipment.
Lowell Normal School students performed Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1905.
In 1906, Lowell Textile School students organized the school’s first yearbook, “The Pickout.”
Lowell Normal School’s graduating class of 1916 wore dresses that were traditional for the day.
The fields outside Kitson Hall at the Textile School became a training camp for World War I recruits in 1918.