Dot McAtee

Dot McAtee works for the Maine Heritage Weavers today after working for Bates Mill for about 20 years. Dot worked first in the shoe industry at the age of 16 working part-time with her mother who worked making heels. Starting in 78′, she worked at the Bates Mill and liked it. She tells stories about how many people used to work there, to the point where they used to have to wait for parking spots to open up. Starting as a battery hand, where she would put bobbins into the machines and moved to be a room girl where she draw in the warps. Afterwards, she would become a weaver. She talks about how the conditions were when she started, as well as when her great aunt who was working there as well started, with her aunt Emma Pelletier having worn dresses there and Dot wearing jeans. Taking about working there, she remembers a few events that the mill would hold but also that the union would host many as well. Then, Dot talks about the fires. There were fire extinguishers located all over the place just in case, and she goes into detail about how they would break out a lot upstairs in the cardboard, that ended up being the first time the fire department showed up as they were usually able to put it out themselves. Later on, she started at the Maine Heritage Weavers when they opened in 2003 where she takes a lot of pride in the work that she does now as a weaver.