2019.065.001

In the summer of 1975, Thomas W. Leavitt, the Director of the Merrimack Valley Textile Museum and T. Allan Comp, Chief Historian of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) agreed to conduct an inventory of the industrial archaeology of the lower Merrimack Valley, from North Chelmsford to Newburyport, which includes Lawrence. This book contains the results of that inventory. This inventory is a reference of all industrial structures in this area that were built prior to 1930, and not included in earlier inventories. Those earlier inventories included:
* The 1968 Historic American Building Survey survey of buildings placed on the National Register of Historic Sites.
* The 1974-1975 Lowell water power system survey by the HAER team.
* Other brief surveys conducted by the State of Massachusetts and the Historic American Engineering Record
Each inventory card contains a brief history of the structure, description of the site and a listing of most helpful reference materials utilize. Only the most important sites are described in full: history of the structure, description of the site, most helpful reference materials. Less important sites are listed, but their descriptions are abridged. Structures of historic significance that were destroyed are included in this inventory.
Tributaries flowing into the Merrimack River are identified.
The inventory cards are organized by town and city.
For Lawrence, the founding owner, engineer, or corporation is identified. These names include Samuel Batchelder, Theodore Voelkers, Abbott Lawrence, Charles T. Main, William M. Wood, Nathaniel Farwell, Essex Company, Charles Bigelow, Charles Storrow.
(the majority of mills, bridges, and utilities are identified in the 'tags'. The remaining structures covered in the book are Spickett Penstock, Washington Mills Gate House, Atlantic Mills, Main Mill, Upper Pacific Mills, Russell Paper Mills