Cotton Mills
January 29, 2011
A History of the Cotton Mills and the Industrial Revolution by Narville Strickland. This history deals primarily with the cotton mills in Mississippi and early Montgomery County. It is a detailed background of which Narville has a personal interest as his parents were displaced by a mill closing and relocated to Winona to the mills there.
The Library of Congress has a collection of Lewis Wickes Hines photos of which eight pertain to Montgomery County. Lewis Hines was a sociologist who used photography to show chlidren working. His photographs of which there are 5,000 in the Library of Congress collection, were instrumental in changing child labor laws. The photographs taken in Winona were taken in 1911.
| Noon hour, Winona (Miss.) Cotton Mills. All work. Location: Winona, Mississippi. | |
| Going home, Winona (Miss.) Cotton Mills. All work. Location: Winona, Mississippi. | |
| Going home, Winona (Miss.) Cotton Mills. All work. Location: Winona, Mississippi | |
| The Dickerson Family, Dependent Parents. Father (not in photo) works in a machine shop. All except mother and two babes work in the cotton mill, Winona. Mother said, "Father earns good pay. The children all together earn twelve to fourteen dollars a week. Been here two years. Came from the farm, but we couldn't get the children back onto the farm now. They like the mill work." Home was bare and poorly kept. Queries:- Where does the money go? Where is the need for the little ones working?. Location: Winona, Mississippi. | |
| The Bush Family. Winona, (Miss.) Cotton Mills. The mother, a widow, and three children all work in the mill. Smallest boy, Louis, said he was "going on 12." Been here only a few months. House in miserable condition. Location: Winona, Mississippi. | |
| Widow in the mill. Girl at home. The McFarland Family, Winona Miss. Cotton Mills. Mother and sons work in the mill. The girl keeps house. Youngest boy has been in the mill five years. Location: Winona, Mississippi. | |
| The only school near the Cotton Mills, Winona, Miss. A private school taught by Miss. McIntosh, who for several years off and on has conducted it, charging each pupil only one dollar a month. With only ten pupils now the job is not very lucrative. She said it was discouraging, but that many seemed to appreciate it. "What we need is compulsory education and a free school out here, which we may get before long." Children range from six to ten years. One of the ten year old boys said, "Only two more years and I'll be in the mill." Little girls added, "Four years more and I'll be there." They all seemed to feel they would get into the mill as soon as possible. Location: Winona, Mississippi. | |
| Mill Village, Winona Cotton Mills, Miss. Fairly good conditions generally, but many very slovenly houses. Location: Mill Village, Mississippi. |
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Sandy Ward | countycoordinator@ms-montgomerycounty.org
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