You sure you saw a coral snake, in Lowell, MA?? I live now in NC and they are extremely rare, and live only in the Southeast corner of NC, near Eastern diamondback rattler-territory (both are endangered in NC). Perhaps you saw a king snake (red on black, friend of Jack, red on yellow can kill a fellow). Maybe it was a released pet, otherwise, a kingsnake?
On to timber rattlers: those poor beasts have been persecuted, and one a-hole from NY(?) is responsible for the demise of some 9,000 in the Northeast. Definitely give the snakes a wide berth if you can, but my experience (w/ Western diamondbacks) is that they're pretty laid-back (in general). Always watch where you step; I almost stepped on a copperhead in Chapel Hill, NC. Luckily, he hissed first!
