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Lowell City Directories

City directories provide lists of residents, streets, businesses, organizations, and institutions giving their location within a city while documenting its operations for a given year. As time passes, and their immediate practical use lessens, directories become a resource for historical research and genealogical information. In addition to listing people and organizations, directories may also include historical narratives, maps, advertisements, and vintage images. Consulted chronologically, directories track families and organizations, as well as cultural trends and economic developments.

Lowell City Directories 1832-1985

The chief repositories for Lowell directories are the Center for Lowell History (CLH) and the Pollard Memorial Library (PML) but they can be found in other libraries and archives. Most Lowell City Directories are available in print form but some only as microfiche or microfilm. A portion have been digitized and links to those are embedded in the list below.

This roster of Lowell directories is not comprehensive but will be updated to include additional information and resources. When available, the guide includes links to fully digitized versions of the directories. The years and sequences of years in which no directories were published are noted. 

  • 1832: The Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche PML)
  • 1833: The Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche PML)

  • 1834: The Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche PML)

  • 1835: The Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche only PML)

  • 1836: Supplement to the Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche PML)

  • 1836: Supplement to the Lowell Directory: Containing names of the females employed, and places of employment, by Benjamin Floyd (CLH)

  • 1837: The Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche PML)

  • 1838: The Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche PML)

  • 1839: The Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche PML)

  • 1840: The Lowell Directory by Benjamin Floyd (Microfiche PML)

  • 1841: The Lowell Directory and Register by William H. Prescott (Microfiche PML)

  • 1842: The Lowell Directory and Almanac (Microfiche PML)

  • 1843: No directory published  

  • 1844: (title page only) Turner’s Lowell Directory and Annual Register (Microfiche PML)

  • 1845: (title page only) Turner’s Lowell Directory and Annual Register (Microfiche PML)

  • 1846: No directory published 

  • 1847: The Lowell Directory and almanac. (Microfiche PML)

  • 1848: No directory published 

  • 1849: (title page only) The Lowell Directory and Business Key by Oliver March (Microfiche PML)

  • 1850: No directory published 

  • 1851: (title page only) The Lowell Directory by George Adams (Microfiche PML)

  • 1852: No directory published 

  • 1853: The Lowell Directory by George Adams (Microfiche PML)

  • 1854: No directory published 

  • 1855: The Lowell Directory by George Adams (Microfiche PML)

  • 1856–1857: No directories published  

  • 1858: The Lowell Directory by Adams, Sampson & Co. (Microfiche PML)

  • 1859: The Lowell Directory by H.A. Cooke, and S.A. McPheters (Microfiche PML)

  • 1860: Lowell Register AKA Lowell Business Directory

  • 1861: The Lowell Directory by Adams, Sampson, & Co.

  • 1862-1863: No directories published due to the Civil War 

  • 1864-1865: The Lowell Directory by Samuel A. McPheters

  • 1866: The Lowell Directory by Sampson, Davenport, & Co.

  • 1867: No directory published

  • 1868: The Lowell Directory by Sampson, Davenport, & Co.

  • 1869: No directory published

  • 1870: The Lowell Directory by Sampson, Davenport, & Co.

  • 1871: No directory published  

  • 1872: The Lowell Directory 

  • 1873 No Directory published

  • 1874: The Lowell Directory 

  • 1875-1876: The Lowell Directory by Sampson, Davenport, & Co.

  • 1877: No directory published 

  • 1878: The Lowell Directory, microfiche PML only.

  • 1879: No directory published

  • 1880: The Lowell Directory

  • 1881: The Lowell Directory

  • 1882: No directory published

  • 1883: The Lowell Directory

  • 1884: The Lowell Directory

  • 1885: The Lowell Directory

  • 1886: The Lowell Directory by Sampson, Murdock, & Co.

  • 1887 The Lowell Directory

  • 1888 The Lowell Directory

  • 1889 The Lowell Directory

  • 1890 The Lowell Directory

  • 1891 The Lowell Directory

  • 1892 The Lowell Directory

  • 1893 The Lowell Directory

  • 1894:The Lowell Directory by Sampson, Murdock & Co.

  • 1895 The Lowell Directory

  • 1896-1897: The Lowell Suburban Directory— For Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury,  Tyngsborough and Westford by Henry M. Meek

  • 1898 The Lowell Directory

  • 1899

  • 1900: The Lowell Directory by Sampson, Murdock, & Co.

  • 1901

  • 1902

  • 1903

  • 1904

  • 1905

  • 1906: The Lowell Directory by Sampson & Murdock Co.

  • 1907

  • 1908

  • 1909

  • 1910

  • 1911

  • 1912

  • 1913

  • 1914

  • 1915

  • 1916: The Lowell Directory by Sampson & Murdock Co.

  • 1917-1918: The Lowell Suburban directory for Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Westford and Buyer’s Guide No. 8. Henry M. Meek

  • 1918: No directory published

  • 1919

  • 1920

  • 1921 The Lowell Suburban directory for Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Westford and Buyer’s Guide Vol. 10. by Henry M. Meek 

  • 1921

  • 1922

  • 1923

  • 1924

  • 1925: The Lowell Suburban Directory for Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Westford and Buyer’s Guide Vol. 12 by Henry M. Meek 

  • 1926: The Lowell Directory for the year ending January 1927. by Sampson & Murdock

  • 1927

  • 1928

  • 1929

  • 1930

  • 1931: The Lowell Directory for the year ending January 1932 by Sampson & Murdock Company 

  • 1932

  • 1932 Polk's Lowell Suburban Classified Business Directory for the towns of Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro and Westward

  • 1933

  • 1934

  • 1935

  • 1936: Lowell Directory Centennial Edition. For the year ending February 1937 Sampson & Murdock Company

  • 1937

  • 1938

  • 1939

  • 1940

  • 1941

  • 1942

  • 1943

  • 1944

  • 1945

  • 1946: Polk’s Lowell (Middlesex County, Mass) City Directory Vol. by R.L. Polk & Co.

  • 1947

  • 1948

  • 1949

  • 1950: Polk’s Lowell (Middlesex County, Mass) City Directory by R.L. Polk & Co.

  • 1950

  • 1951

  • 1952

  • 1953

  • 1954

  • 1955

  • 1956: Polk’s Lowell (Middlesex County, Mass) City Directory by R.L. Polk & Co.

  • 1957

  • 1958

  • 1959

  • 1960

  • 1961

  • 1962

  • 1963

  • 1964

  • 1965

  • 1966: Polk’s Lowell (Middlesex County, Mass) City Directory. by R.L. Polk & Co. Publishers 

  • 1967

  • 1968

  • 1969

  • 1970

  • 1971

  • 1972

  • 1973

  • 1974

  • 1975: Lowell (Middlesex County, Mass) City Directory by R.L. Polk & Co.

  • 1976

  • 1977

  • 1978:  No directories published  

  • 1979

  • 1980

  • 1981

  • 1983-1984: No directories published 

  • 1985: Lowell Massachusetts City Directory by R.L. Polk & Co. 

  • 1986

  • 1987

  • 1988-1989: No directories published 

  • 1990

  • 1991-1992:  No directories published  

  • 1993

  • 1994-1996: No directories published