Lowell - Textile Workers' Exhibit

Located in the former workers' boardinghouse near the Boott Cotton Mill, this museum concentrates on the living conditions and explores the stories of textile workers. New England farm girls, commonly known as the "mill girls" made up the majority of the workforce when it opened in the mid-1820's. However, when the local economy suffered due to competition and recession, the mill owners hired immigrants from Ireland, Europe and Canada for lower pay and living conditions deteriorated. Aside from being the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, Lowell's textile mills also spawned the American labor rights movement.