The following materials cover a wide range of topics related to the textile industry in Willimantic from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Children of the Cotton Industry
ChildrenoftheCottonIndustryPP / ChildrenoftheCottonIndustryPDF / GlossaryForChildrenoftheCottonIndustryPDF
This presentation examines the lives of southern children who grow up picking cotton for northern US factories.
Child Labor 1870s – 1930s
ChildLaborPP / ChildLaborPDF / GlossaryforChildLaborPDF
Child Labor presents the lives of children who worked in factories during the heyday of the textile industry.
The Story of My Cotton Dress
TheStoryofMyCottonDressPP / TheStoryofMyCottonDressPDF / GlossaryforMyCottonDressPDF
My Cotton Dress explores all of the work children had to do to make a single garment. From growing and picking the cotton to selling the finished product.
The Boss Family
BossFamilyPP / BossFamilyPDF / BossFamilyGlossaryPDF
The Boss Family looks at the privileged lives of a mill manager’s children verses children of working class families.
Life of a Mill Worker’s Family – 1893
LifeofaMillWorkerFamilyPP / LifeofaMillWorkerFamilyPDF / GlossaryforMillWorkerFamilyPDF
This is the story of one poor Irish immigrant family and how they came to Willimantic to start a new life.
Mill Memories: Photographs of Mill Workers
A look at the lives of mill workers through the photography collection at the Windham Textile and History Museum.
Willimantic 1882 – 1909
WillimanticConnecticut1882and1909PP / WillimanticConnecticut1882and1909
Using old maps and images, a story is told about the town of Willimantic at the turn of the 20th century.
Swift Waters, Hot Steam, and Electric Motors
A presentation on different types of power used by the mills at Willimantic Falls, 1822-2012.
The Civil War: Connecticut’s Cotton Connection
CIVIL-WAR-Connecticut-Connection
This lecture was given during the Mill Museum’s Civil War exhibit in 2011-2012.
A Gneiss Prospect: Shaping an Early Industrial Ecosystem in Connecticut’s Lower Willimantic River Valley, 1820-1920
How both environment and industrial history helped shaped eastern Connecticut.
If Walls Could Talk: Researching the History of Your House: A Guide for Beginners
A 2011 lecture given by the WTHM director, Dr. Jamie Eves.