So here is a remarkable place with a remarkable history. It is the Boott Cotton Mills located in Lowell, Massachusetts (the National Historic Park). We had the pleasure of spending a day literally working on the line and exploring the difficult conditions of young women and eventually immigrants who came to this city beginning in the 1830's, seeking a new and better life but being thrust into horrific working conditions in these textile mills. The hours were unbearable, the work monotonous and tedious, the thunder of the looms deafening and the flying bits of textile fibers deadly.

The history of the place is beautifully preserved but it also challenges its visitors to think about how workers are treated today. Where were your jeans made, for example, and why so affordable? What were the politics and economics of the time that created a ripe environment for exploitation and how can this continue today? A very provocative and interesting series of exhibits that we highly recommend checking out if ever in the Boston area!