Memory and Hope: Four Local Museums in the Mill Towns of the Industrial Northeast

For a number of mill towns, the future has included recapturing the old industrial regime in the local history museum. The wellknown national park presenting the cotton textile regime of Lowell has benefited from an influx of federal dollars. However, in most cases mill town museums rely very heavily on local support, especially in maintaining operations. Part of the post-mill-shutdown story in these cities has been the people's rallying to the support of the local museum, and finding in that museum's exhibits a commemoration, and in part a celebration, of what previous generations had built right in that place. This review examines four such exhibits in towns located in the