About Us

• What Is the Tsongas Industrial History Center?
• Mission Statement
• Who Was Paul Tsongas?

What Is the Tsongas Industrial History Center?

• The Tsongas Center is a hands-on center where students learn about the American Industrial Revolution through activities and tours of the sites where history—and science—happened. Students "do history" by weaving, working on an assembly line, role-playing immigrants, voting in a town meeting, or becoming inventors. Students can also "do science" as they use the engineering design process, manipulate simple machines, create canal systems and test water wheels, measure water quality, trace the flow of groundwater pollution, or discover river cleanup techniques. The
• Tsongas Center is a professional development provider, offering teachers exciting workshops and primary-source-based teaching activities. Teachers can earn professional development points and even graduate credit for their activities at the Center.
• The Tsongas Center is a partnership between the University of Massachusetts Lowell Graduate School of Education and Lowell National Historical Park, which each provide a portion of the funding and staff to operate the Center.

Our Mission Statement

The Tsongas Industrial History Center is an educational project of the UMass Lowell Graduate School of Education in cooperation with Lowell National Historical Park.  Within the overall mission of UMass Lowell to develop a vigorous and sustainable regional economy, improved schools, and a high quality of family, work and community life, the mission of the Tsongas Industrial History Center is to

1. Encourage K-12 teachers, students, and youth groups to study the social, economic, and environmental causes and consequences of industrial development, decline, and renewal.
   
   
2. Assist the University and schools to strengthen public education in the region.
   
   
3. Assist National Parks to expand their educational partnerships and programs. 

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Who Was Paul Tsongas?

The Paul E. Tsongas Industrial History Center is named for former U.S. Senator Tsongas, not only because he filed the legislation to create the Lowell National Historical Park, but also because he urged the development of University-Park Service educational partnerships to use Lowell as a classroom. Senator Tsongas believed that stronger schools were an essential ingredient in the revitalization of economic and community life in Lowell and in the region and that strong schools resulted from strong community partnerships.

Inspired by Tsongas's vision of Lowell as an historical classroom not only for Lowell students but for all students, Superintendent of Lowell National Historical Park Chrysandra Walter and UMass Lowell Chancellor William Hogan assembled a team and sought initial funding to create a hands-on education center that opened in the fall of 1991. The Center was later named to honor the Senator's many contributions to Lowell as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1975-1979), United States Senator (1979-1985), UMass Lowell trustee, Lowell City Counselor, and County Commissioner.

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