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1966 Map of Lowell

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Lowell
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1987
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1987

About this map

The Merrimack River serves as the industrial and geographic anchor of this landscape, defining the layout of Lowell and its surrounding neighborhoods. By the mid-1960s, the urban core was densely packed with civic institutions, including Keith Academy, St Peters Sch, and the State Teachers College. The transportation network is dominated by the Boston and Maine railroad lines and major arteries like Merrimack St, which connect the inner city to residential districts such as Belvidere and Pawtucketville.

Beyond the city limits, the terrain shifts into the wooded hills of the Lowell-Dracut State Forest and the rolling uplands of Pelham, New Hampshire. The map captures a complex mix of mid-century suburban expansion and older rural remnants, evidenced by family burial grounds like the Gibson Cem and Bailey Cem set against newer developments. Notable landmarks such as Nickel Mine Hill and Jeremy Hill provide distinct vertical relief in an area otherwise characterized by the steady flow of Beaver Brook and Richardson Brook toward the Merrimack.