Anita Turgeon reflects on her life growing up in Lewiston, Maine, in a French Canadian family and the role community and family played in shaping her path. She shares stories of her early work experiences, her deep ties to the mills, and the lasting impact of those...
Born in Lewiston, Maine on December 12, 1926, to Canadian immigrant parents, Roger Verreault served two years in the Army after high school before returning home to join his brother at the Lewiston Machine Company. Together with several of his brothers, they built...
Fernand Labbe decided to leave high school in 1956 so that he could begin work at the mills. He worked for a number of years at Hill Mill, where he met his wife. Labbe outlines his roles in the mill, and discusses his experience in the workers union, and a strike that...
Pauline Labbe was born in Lewiston in 1942. Her mother had worked as a doffer at Hill Mill, and her father worked in the shoe industry. Labbe joined her mother working at Hill Mill after graduating high school. She discusses the presence of French-Canadian culture...
Norm Perault was born and raised in Lewiston, where his father worked at the Bates Mill as the supervisor for the boiler room. Norm started work at the Bates mill at 16, but left shortly after to become a lumberjack. A supervisor for the Hill Mill later made a bet...
