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

Children of the Cotton Industry (ppt)/ COTCI (pdf) /Glossary – COTCI (pdf)

This presentation examines the lives of southern children who grow up picking cotton for northern US factories.

Child Labor 1870s – 1930s

Child Labor (ppt)/ CL (pdf) / Glossary – CL (pdf)

Child Labor presents the lives of children who worked in factories during the  heyday of the textile industry.

The Story of My Cotton Dress

My Cotton Dress (ppt)/ MCD (pdf) / Glossary – MCD (pdf)

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

Boss Family (ppt)/ BF (pdf) / Glossary – BF (pdf)

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

Life of a Mill Worker Family (ppt)/ LOAMWF (pdf) /Glossary – LOAMWF (pdf)

This is the story of one poor Irish immigrant family and how they came to Willimantic to start a new life.

Willimantic 1882 – 1909

Willimantic Connecticut 1882 – 1909 (ppt) / WC1882-1909 (pdf)

Using old maps and images, a story is told about the town of Willimantic at the turn of the 20th century.