Lynn Heritage State Park is a history-themed heritage park in downtown Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...

. It includes a visitor center with exhibits highlighting the industrial past of the city, featuring traditional shoemaking

Shoemaking

Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...

 as a handicraft

Handicraft

Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means...

 and its transition to mechanization. There are also exhibits outlining the story of Elihu Thomson

Elihu Thomson

Elihu Thomson was an American engineer and inventor who was instrumental in the founding of major electrical companies in the United States, the United Kingdom and France.-Early life:...

, an engineer and inventor instrumental in the founding of General Electric

General Electric

General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

. The park also has guided tours, a self-guided walking tour and the nearby 4.2 acres (1.7 ha) Waterfront Park, located at Lynn Harbor.

The heritage park is part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston

Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston

The Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston is a system of reservations, parks, parkways and roads under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation in and around Boston that has been in existence for over a century...

.