The Old Worthen, in Lowell, Massachusetts is an odd triangular building built in 1830’s and finally became a tavern/hotel in 1889.
Jack Kerouac was a patron of The Worthen House in downtown Lowell. Allan Ginsburg, Jimmy Breslin, and Edgar Allan Poe, who reportedly wrote The Raven on the building’s second floor, shared this distinction.
My personal experience with The Worthen were as an EMT in the city. In the middle 90’s we would occupy the upstairs, playing pool and burning off the unwanted energy our jobs posed. Much has changed, but much has stayed the same…but that’s Lowell for you.
Cheers!
It was a fun time and the owners were quite gracious to allow me access!
Unfortunately I need some more time to devise better angles to convey my feelings about the place.
Cheers!
Re: Poe, ‘The Raven’ was published in 1845 but Poe’s first visit to Lowell was not until 1848, so that story is strictly myth, probably a late nineteenth century marketing gimmick started by the bar owner.