Gerard worked as a Loom Fixer Supervisor for the Bates Manufacturing Company. He discusses how he got his diploma from the International Correspondence School and went from a fill-in to supervisor, his experience in service, his family history, and the particular...
Constance was born and raised in Lewiston, ME. She shares how her family came from Canada to Maine, growing up in Lewiston in the 30s and 40s, what the community was like, and her time as a clerk in the Bates Division of the Bates Manufacturing Company.
Germain Letourneau was a worker at the Hill and Bates Mill. He initially discusses his family and then his jobs as a supervisor at the mills, including a strike he helped organize. He also describes the step-by-step process of making yarn.
Emeril Bergeron worked in the mills for forty years. He discusses both the differences in the communities of Lewiston and Auburn and the community of the mill. He also details the generational differences between education and his family’s views on it. Finally,...
Donald Caron was a mechanic in the textile mills from the 1940s to 1970s. He discusses growing up in Lewiston. This includes his schooling, religion, and the community in both Lewiston and Auburn. He also discusses other childhood memories and his experience being...