Image by Courtesy of Lowell National Historical Park
What was it like for the operatives (people who operated the machines) in Lowell’s textile mills? Every worker had a different experience. While earning cash wages for long hours, some workers found opportunity and others experienced hardships.
How a Loom Works
Looms are noisy, large, and powerful machines that turn delicate yarns into yards and yards of cloth. Loom operators had to know how to start/stop the machines, as well as keep an eye out for imperfections in the cloth that would indicate a problem with the machine. [This link goes to TIHC’s YouTube page.]
Lowell: The Continuing Revolution
Why did people decide to work in one of Lowell’s factories? What were some of the benefits and some of the challenges of working in a mill? Learn about the history of Lowell through this short introductory film. [This link goes to Lowell National Historical Park’s website.]
We have created two activities for use with the film.
Writing Prompt Activity: Newspaper Writing
Writing Prompt Activity: Immigration
Mill Life: Primary Source Documents
This collection of primary sources from the mid-19th century provides an overview of what it was like to work in a textile mill. The collection includes: Image of the Hamilton Mill, Lowell Corporation Hospital Records, Daguerreotype of a woman at a loom, Hamilton Manufacturing Company Payroll Records for employee Barilla Taylor, Hamilton Company Regulations, Lowell Mills Time Table, 1853.
A Peek Inside Lowell’s Mills
Textile mills were large buildings filled with machines that made cloth. This collection contains historic images of the textile mills of Lowell in operation. It also contains photos of the men and women who worked in the mills, as well as model textile equipment from international textile expositions of the 1920s. [This link goes to Lowell National Historical Park’s website.]
Decide Eliza Paige’s Future
Role play that you are coming to Lowell to work in a mill! What choices did mill workers make, and how did their decisions transform their lives? How was the culture changing because of industry? Pretend you are mill girl Eliza Paige and make decisions that will impact your life in Lowell.
Make Your Own Time Capsule
Discover the secret time capsule within the Boott Mill’s gold acorn and then make your own.