History and Location

Pawtucketville is located in Lowell’s northwestern corner, bordered in the south by the Merrimack River, on the east by Beaver Brook. The City’s municipal boundary forms the northern and western edges of the neighborhood. Pawtucketville is connected to the rest of Lowell by a series of bridges: the Rourke Bridge connects Pawtucket Boulevard to Middlesex Village and the Highlands; the O’Donnell Bridge connects Mammoth Road to the Acre; and the University Avenue Bridge connects University Avenue to the Upper Merrimack Street section of the Acre. Martin Street and the VFW Highway both cross Beaver Brook, linking Pawtucketville to Centralville.

Before settlement by the Europeans, Native Americans of the Pennacook tribe inhabited the area now known as Pawtucketville. Their word “Pawtucket” means “place of loud noise,” referring to the falls in the Merrimack River. In the 1600’s, the government had given land in this area as military grants to reward men for their service; but these men soon sold their holdings without settling here. In 1664, Samuel Varnum and Edward Colburn bought land and became the first permanent European settlers in Pawtucketville. In 1872, the Pawtucketville section of Dracut was annexed to Lowell. Irish and French Canadian immigrants found a home here. Pawtucketville stretches from densely populated streets in lower Pawtucketville, near the north campus of UMass Lowell, to the wild reaches of the Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest. 

Demographics

• Population:  14,355 (Census 2000)
• Median Household Income: $45,612 (1999 Dollars)

Parks and Recreation:

• Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest: Park main entrance on Trotting Park Road. The state park includes 1,140 acres with hiking and biking trails, and includes 180 acres of ponds, swamps, and wetlands.
• Regatta Field
• Pawtucketville Memorial, McNamara Field & LeBlanc Park
• Lowell Heritage State Park
• Wang Soccer Field
• Campbell Park
• Maguire Playground

Neighborhood Group:

Pawtucketville Citizen’s Council. Meets every first Monday of the month at the Wang Elementary School, 365 West Meadow Road, at 7:00 p.m. (excluding July and August).

Projects:

• Pawtucketville Neighborhood Master Plan
• University Avenue Bridge