Politics & Government

Share Your Stories Of Woonsocket's Mill History

Tell us your family's stories from the city's mill life.

 

While most people see Labor Day as a nicely-timed Monday off to end the summer, the holiday was begun to honor the efforts of millions of factory and mill workers — including the thousands who worked at Woonsocket companies.

The U.S. Department of Labor's website on the history of Labor Day explains that the first recorded Labor Day occurred on a Tuesday — Sept. 5, 1882, organized by members of the Central Labor Union in New York City, NY.

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After changing the annual date to the first Monday of September, labor organizations continued to honor the holiday — and several state enacted laws approving it — until 1894, when Congress made Labor Day an official national holiday.

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In Woonsocket, generations of laborers worked in the mills that sprang up in the 1800s and 1900s, including the . 

Did you or anyone you know work at one of the mills in Woonsocket? What are your memories of working in Woonsocket's factories?

Tell us in the comments — and share your stories with our readers.



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