Dick Courtmanche was born in Lewiston as one of 10 siblings to his parents who arrived from Canada. The family had a small farm on College Road in Lewiston with his dad working as a hand sewer in the shoe industry, with his children expected to follow in his steps. He...
Phyllis Rand worked in the mills for two years. As a Black woman, she speaks about her experiences and the working conditions in the mills, as well as raising children in Lewiston and finding community within the place she calls home.
Ray St. Pierre worked for the Bates Mill in accounting, sharing a lot of internal information about how the accounting side of Bates operated as well as how it changed as the years went on. He worked there as the mill was closing down, talking about how the mill...
Jim Wellehan and his family have deep ties to the shoe industries located across Lewiston-Auburn. His family operates Lamey-Wellehan Shoes with locations across the state, and the company got their start in 1914 when his dad opened the first store with Charley...
Roy and Mary Tassinari have been involved in the shoe industry for a very long time, even their parents worked in various shoe mills both in Maine and in Massachusetts.They share a lot about the process of shoemaking, going over everything from wooden heels, shoe...
