16 U.S.C. § 410cc — Congressional statement of findings and purpose

(a) Congress finds that: (1) certain sites and structures in Lowell, Massachusetts — the most historically and culturally significant planned industrial city in the United States — physically symbolize the Industrial Revolution; (2) Lowell's neighborhoods still preserve the cultural heritage of many ethnic groups that immigrated there in the late 1800s and early 1900s; (3) a large share of Lowell's buildings, structures, and districts date to the Industrial Revolution and are nationally significant, including a 5.6-mile power canal system, seven original mill complexes, and notable early housing, commerce, transportation, and labor and social buildings; and (4) despite Lowell and Massachusetts already spending significant money on historic and cultural preservation there, the early buildings and structures may be lost without federal help. (b) This subchapter's purpose is to preserve and interpret Lowell's nationally significant historical and cultural sites, structures, and districts for present and future generations, by carrying out, as much as practical, the recommendations in the Lowell Historic Canal District Commission's report.