Lyddie: Voices from the Field - Chapter 07 Why go to Mills

Why did young women go to Lowell to work in the factories in the 1800s? Each woman had her own specific reasons for going to Lowell but the underlying reason for many was to get a job and make money. In the 1800s, if a woman needed a job, working in the mills was one of just a few options. Most young women during the 19th century had roles in running their households or farms and helping to raise younger siblings. Many people at the time believed that a woman's role was in those domestic or home spaces. Before the expansion of factory jobs, if a woman did need a job that paid, she might be able to become a servant or do domestic work for someone else or become a teacher. Once the mills opened there were more opportunities for women to find a steady job with a good income. Some of the reasons for needing a job that Mill Girls wrote about include helping pay off a debt on their family farm, paying for their brother to go to college, or to support a family member who was ill. Others wanted to save money for their own futures. This included saving for a dowry so that they could be married or pay to go to female seminary (the equivalent of college).

Beyond making money in the mills, there were other parts of living and working in Lowell that were exciting to young women. As factory workers, they lived in company boarding houses with other workers. Women formed many new friendships with other female boarders. They spent their time after work reading books, discussing the news of the day, or even singing songs. The city of Lowell offered an exciting social life that most women from small villages had never experienced before. The women could use some of their pay to shop and attend concerts and plays. The women in Lowell had access to educational opportunities like lectures and the library. Some women even collaborated on writing and publishing a magazine together. Even with all these opportunities, working in the mills was very difficult. Most textile workers worked for 12 to 14 hours 5 days a week and a half day on Saturday. They worked on big, heavy, dangerous machines. The factory floors were dangerously loud, hot, and had terrible air quality with cotton dust coating every surface. Yet even though working in the mills and being away from their families presented many hardships, the chance to make money and have social and educational opportunities led many women to choose Lowell.

About the Author

Emily Donovan
Supervisory Park Ranger
Lowell National Historical Park