Our Mission: To educate people about America's industrial history and to encourage and inspire future innovation. 

We do this by creating engaging experiences that highlight the many fascinating technical and business innovations that have taken place in this region and continue to change the world.

Located in the Francis Cabot Lowell Mill, an icon of the American Industrial Revolution, the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation brings together intriguing artifacts, cultural insights, and inspiring stories to delight people of all ages, enabling them to see the past and envision the future.

The People of the
Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation

Trustees

Marlene Archer-Clark
Mark Cohen
Brian Crafts
Dan Eyring - Curatorial, Collections
Marcia Folsom - Chair
Howard Gorin
Ellie Lowell
Bill Moonan
Rudy Ruggles - Vice-Chair
Robert Timmerman
Michael Turpin
Doug Waybright - Treasurer

Emily Maitin - Clerk of the Corporation

Staff

Diana Baez - Assistant Event Manager
Jillian Doherty - Event Manager
Michelle Morello - Administrative Coordinator
Joe Niedbala - Director of Operations
Bob Perry - Executive Director
Isaiah Plovnick - Visitor Services Manager, Video Production
Bill Wheeler - Visitor Services

Advisory Board

Mike Barnett, PhD
Luciano Betoldi
Steve Dunwell
George Hein
Mort Isaacson
Steve Lubar
John Mayer
Wayne McCarthy
Ian Roy
Caroline Tilden

Curators

Mark Erelli - 2nd SHIFT Music Series

Cultural Event Specialists

Michael Bavaro - Video Production
Andrew Spencer - Audio Production
Steve Wirtes - Audio Production

Our Volunteers
"The Oil Can Crew"

Paul Becker
Todd Cahill
Richard Friedman
Richard Koolish
Mark Nahabedian
Tom Norris - Collections Manager
Wayne Paskerian
Robert Timmerman
Phil Wallas
Roger Wiegand

Volunteers Roger Wiegand and Wayne Paskerian Reglazing and reinforcing the structure of an antique display case in our watch Gallery. - Photo by Richard Koolish, April 20, 2017

Visitor Programs & Special Events

Susan Davis
Lynn Hallen
Carole Pugliese
Amy Rothman

Watch City Bike Lab

Martha Creedon
Harry Friedman 
Leo Keightley
Nathan Phillips

A Brief History of the
Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation

In 1980, members of the Waltham community, led by the passionate wisdom of industrial historian Michael Folsom (pictured), who would be the Museum's first Executive Director, incorporated the Charles River Museum of Industry. The organization officially opened its doors as a Museum in 1988.

These cultural, civic, and business leaders believed "that the people of New England deserve[d] a clearer understanding of the region's rich industrial heritage and the ways that heritage continues to shape their lives." The founding members wanted a "well-planned and professionally-executed museum," and believed that incorporating resources for "instruction, recreation, preservation, and research" would go far in achieving their goals.

Museum Founder Michael Folsom

In 2007, the institution was renamed The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation. The term "innovation" not only relates to the process of creativity and ingenuity that allows for the perfection of machines over time, but also underlines a new mission for the Museum: to consider not just the past, but the present and the future. As the Museum evolves, so do its goals; as history unfolds, so does the Museum's relevance.

In 2018 the Museum unveiled an exhibit on the Boston Associates, America's First Industrial Dynasty. The Boston Associates, so named by 20th-century historian Vera Shlakman, were a group of Boston-based businessmen gathered and initially led by Francis Cabot Lowell. Together they founded the Boston Manufacturing Company on our site in 1813 and proceeded to develop the New England textile industry and supporting organizational, financial, and transportation infrastructure until the Civil War.

The Charles River Museum of Innovation & Industry, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.