Sentimental Sunday: The Franco American "Little Canada" Memorial - Aiken St., Lowell, Mass

Demolished in the 1960's to make way for Urban Renewal, Little Canada is where my ancestors once lived, loved, worked, worshiped, and played. I wish I could have had a chance to walk it's streets and listen to it's voices before they were erased.

 

"EN SOUVENIER DES CANADIENS DE LANGUE

FRANCAISE ET DE LEURS DESCENDANTS,

LES FRANCO-AMERICAINS, QUI ONT VECU

ICI, NOS COEURS N'OUBLIERONT JAMAIS

LEUR COURAGE, LEURS SACRIFICES, LEUR

FOI, LEUR FIERTE

1875 - 1964

ON THIS SITE GREW THE HEART OF THE

FRANCO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY. HARD

WORKING FRENCH CANADIANS CAME TO

FILL THE MILLS OF LOWELL AND BUILD

A TRADITION OF FAITH, GENEROSITY,

AND PRIDE.

LE PEITE CANADA - LITTLE CANADA

AIKEN - CABOT - CHEEVER - COOLIDGE - HALL - MELVIN- MONTCALM - PAWTUCKET - PERKINS - SUFFOLK - TUCKER - WARD

JE ME SOUVIENS - LEST WE FORGET"

"1977

ERECTED BY 

THE FRANCO-AMERICAN PEOPLE

AND

THE OBLATE FATHERS OF

ST. JEAN BAPTISTE PARISH

THIS STONE COMES FROM ONE OF THE

LAST BLOCKS OR LARGE WOODEN

APARTMENT HOUSES TO BE TORN DOWN"