The Belles of New England: The Women of the Textile Mills and the Families Whose Wealth They Wove

by William Moran

Book Overview

"The Belles of New England" is a masterful, definitive, and eloquent look at the enormous cultural and economic impact on America of New Englands textile mills. The author, an award-winning CBS producer, traces the history of American textile manufacturing back to the ingenuity of Francis Cabot Lodge. The early mills were an experiment in benevolent enlightened social responsibility on the part of the wealthy owners, who belonged to many of Bostons...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312301839
• ISBN13: 9780312301835
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Sleeping Giants Come to Life

For years, growing up in Massachusetts, I would pass these giant mills in cities such as Lowell, New Bedford or Fall River, wondering about the history. This book brings it to life--the workers' struggles, triumphs and incredible strength and perserverance. Anyone interested in reading about labor history, the struggle of the working class, how capitalism can spin out of control, etc., should read this book. The next time you pass one of these mills, you will stop and think about these brave, hardworking women.

The Hobo Philosopher

This was another winner for me. I am from Lawrence, Mass and I try to read everything about the area. This book deals with Lowell but it also covers Lawrence - the Bread and Roses strike and the Pemberton Mill disaster. So far this book contains the the most detail that I have been able to find on the Pemberton Mill disaster. If you are interested in Lawrence, Mass. you might also like to check out Bruce Watson's "Bread and Roses" or for a lighter and more fun read my book "A Summer with Charlie" which is about growing up in Lawrence in the 60s. I also cover the Bread and Roses strike in an appendix at the end of the book. Books written by Richard Noble - The Hobo Philosopher: "Hobo-ing America: A Workingman's Tour of the U.S.A.." "A Summer with Charlie" "A Little Something: Poetry and Prose" "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother" "The Eastpointer" Selections from award winning column.

Readable History

A fascinating topic with many parallels to today's influx of immigrants and the goal of gender-equality in the work place. This book is written the way history books should be written: readable and entertaining, and therefore informative and thought-provoking. Pay no attention to pedantic criticisms that author Moran is not a "historian" but rather a journalists; that is nonsense. Just read, learn, and enjoy.

Before you complain about YOUR job, read this book!

The next time I complain about MY job, I'll try and spend a moment thinking about what it was like to work in the mills described in this excellent book. Deafness, arthritis caused by repetitive hand motion, young children put to work because their families were desperate for money, fires in the mill, job-related injuries, long hours of work, poor ventiliation and light - you name it. I heard about this book while watching C-Span and today I'm ordering a copy for a friend in New England whose long-ago relatives came from Canada to work in the mills.It has strengthened my resolve to visit Lowell, Mass. and see what has been preserved.It's fascinating and enjoyable to read - I'm just glad I didn't have to live through the experience myself. Highly recommended.

Long Before Rosie the Riveter- Franco-American Women Worked

Very few books give enough credit, in my opinion, to the important role women played in the development of American society. French Canadian women are probably at the very end of a long line of feminist ethnic groups frequently overlooked for the formidable standard they set, later a prototype characterized by Rosie the Riveter during America's darkest days during the middle of the last century. The Belles of New England is a well researched history about the development of New England's dinosaur textile and shoe industries and how hard working immigrant women made moguls of their owners. Although the Franco-American woman were a large workforce in these now largely empty brick buildings, hopelessly stuck on the landscape of New England towns, they weren't the only ones to contribute to the industrial age success of these mega-industries. Still, Franco-American women were unusual. Largely from Quebec, they raised extraordinarily large families while working labor jobs to raise money for their extended families. Franco-Americans are different than other American ethnic melting pot varieties in that they could always go home again, to Canada, by train or by foot. But, they stayed, raised their families and contributed to the wealth of a few industrialists who probably never said thank you. So, author Bill Moran has said in "Belles" what the moguls couldn't even conceptualize if their lives depended on it to do so. Nice selection of historic photos, too. Moran gives long overdue credit to the women who helped make New England prosperous.