History and Location

South Lowell, which comprises of the neighborhood Sacred Heart, also includes the neighborhoods of Ayer City, the Bleachery, the Grove, Riverside Park, Swede Village and Wigginsville. Some of the first small mills in the area sprung up along the Concord Rive took shape. South Lowell is also the site of the Lowell Cemetery (1841), an early example of a Victorian cemetery, combining burial places with landscaped parkland. Among those laid to rest here are U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas, 19th century congressman and governor of Puerto Rico Charles H. Allen of Lowell.

Daniel Ayer and William H. Wiggins helped develop South Lowell. In the mid-1840s, Ayer laid out a subdivision of housing lots called Ayer City, at the southern tip of the city. The venture failed because, most believed, the area was too far from the mills. Undaunted, a decade later Ayer reappeared with a new plan. With 40,000 people living in Lowell, Ayer figured that they would need certain goods. His plan called for a tannery, a cattle market, coal and lumberyards, and manufacturing capacity for woolen goods, rope, glue and glassware. Tanner and Manufactures streets remain to this day as commercial areas. Wiggins developed his land for commercial purposes; by 1895 there was a small church, a school and railroad station, as well as 63 houses. In 1906, Wigginsville was annexed from Tewksbury.

Demographics

• Population: 12,876 (2000 Census)
• Median Income: $41,275 (1999 Dollars)

Park and Recreation

• O'Donnell Park
• Lowell Cemetery
• Manning Field
• Commonwealth Avenue Playground
• Stratham Playground

Neighborhood Groups:

• Sacred Heart Neighborhood Improment Group (SHNIG) and Riverside Community Council (RCC). Meetings held together on the second Monday of every other month at the Holy Family School located at 122 Andrews Street, 7:00 p.m.    

Projects

• Tanner Street Initiative