Armand was born in Pembrook, NH, and moved to the Maine at the age of 3. He discusses growing up in the Lewiston-Auburn area in the 1930s, his family history with the Bates Mill, and his life as a weaver at the Bates Mill.
Nancy Higgins worked as a stitcher in at the Bates Mill. She discusses her work and her eventual role as a supervisor. She also mentions when the mills started closing as well as unions at the workplace.
Dave Rancourt started as a hand sewer in shoe factories and eventually worked his way up to owning a small business. He discusses the department of hand sewing and what it was like to manage employees there. To read the transcription, scroll past the first two...
Ed Koss was a shoemaker who worked in various factories in Central America. He recounts his job in the shoe industry, and how he went from working in Maine to running factories in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He also discusses how globalization has changed the...
Irene worked at the Bates Mill in the winding room with cotton. In this interview, Irene discusses the workers at the mill, including what child labor looked like at the time. She also discusses her family’s transition from Canada to Maine.
