Ray Berube was born in Danville and grew up in New Auburn, sharing his experiences growing up in the French community of Auburn. Around the time he was 12 or 13 he started working in the brickyard, where he would cover the bricks in sand so they wouldn’t dry out too...
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.
Dot McAtee works for the Maine Heritage Weavers today after working for Bates Mill for about 20 years. Dot worked first in the shoe industry at the age of 16 working part-time with her mother who worked making heels. Starting in 78′, she worked at the Bates Mill...
Nicole worked in the textile mills, mainly in the fringe department. She discusses how she balanced being a mother with working and her various jobs in Lewiston. She also discusses the generational differences in her family and her experiences in Lewiston.
Roland Gosselin, the oldest of nine children, worked as a weaver in the Bates Mill for 48 years and as a business agent for the union office. He shares stories about his family, his time in the mill and union, as well as his involvement in his community, the Richelieu...
