Noel Morrell was born in Waterville in the late 1920s, and grew up with his family in Lewiston. Morrell worked as a printing press operator at Bates Mill from around 1952 until he was laid off in 1983 during the company’s downsizing period. He discusses the...
Jerome Feinstein moved to Lewiston from Massachusetts after graduating from high school in the late 1930s. Feinstein worked in the shoe industry, moving across seven different roles in the factories. Eventually, he went on to be a shoe salesman. Feinstein discusses...
Irene Harvey was born and raised in Lewiston in Little Canada. In 1960, when Harvey was in her teens, she left school to begin work in order to contribute to her family. She soon followed in her father’s footsteps, and began working in the shoe factories alongside...
In 1918, when Ernest Lamontagne was two years old, his family moved from French Canada to Lewiston to work. Lamontagne talks about growing up in Lewiston, describes his family life, and his experience working at Bates Mill.
Roger Farnum came of age in Lewiston and Turner during the 1940s. After marrying, he began working in the shoe industry in Lewiston. He discusses his role buying materials from suppliers to sell to shoe companies, unions strikes, and explains how he was impacted when,...
