Joe Mailey grew up in the 70s here in Lewiston-Auburn and started work at a very young age. He recalls being six years old when he was ‘hired’ by the Bisson Market to shovel the porch for pieces of chocolate. He worked carrying mail, worked for his parents car wash,...
Emile Frechette has worked as a weaver for a very long time. Born in 1915, he grew up in Lewiston and was working in the Libby Mill during the start of World War Two until he was drafted during 1944-45. Afterwards, he began to work at the Bates Mill which he did for...
David Nelson and his family have a lot of deep ties to the shoe industry here in Lewiston-Auburn. He was born in Lewiston and has lived in Auburn for his entire life, during which he recounts the urban renewal of the 1960s and the changes to the town that came with...
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.
Vital Gagnon grew up here in Lewiston, moving all over Lincoln Street till ending up at a farm in Auburn, with both parents working in the mills located nearby. Both of them at one point even worked at the Bates Mill together, though his mom later worked as a...
