The Lowell library was founded in 1844, and like a lot of other libraries during the 19th century seemed to bounce around a lot from place to place. The current library was built opened to the public in 1893. It was built to serve as a library and a Grand Army of the Republic hall for veterans of the Civil War.

From the outside, the building itself is beautiful. A hulking stone thing with plenty of hints to its dual-use construction. The inside is no less stunning with lots of wood, stained glass, and architectural details that are outstanding.

The Memorial Hall itself is perhaps the most amazing part of the library. After a fire in 1915, the city raised money for the restoration of the room – which included the purchase of three massive paintings of scenes of Ulysses S Grant during the Civil War. These had originally been painted for display in a cyclorama and are well worth a visit.