For newcomers from farms, living in Lowell, Massachusetts, held promise. It was a chance to experience city life, earn fair wages, and save money for a decent start in life.
But factory work was hard. The dawn-to-dusk schedule was not new to farmwomen, but working indoors in the high heat and humidity (to prevent threads from drying out and breaking) was different. Because the windows were kept closed, there was no cooling breeze. And workers breathed in the fine cotton dust and lint that hung in the air after being spit out from the machines. Lowell’s