Description
Within the early 1900s, Huntsville, Alabama, had more spindles than every other city Within the South. Cotton fields and mills made town an incredible competitor Within the textile industry. Entire mill villages sprang up across the factories to accommodate workers and their families. Many of those village buildings at the moment are iconic community landmarks, such as the revitalized Lowe Mill arts facility and the Merrimack Mill Village Historic District. The “lintheads,” a demeaning moniker villagers wore as a badge of honor, were hard workers. Their lives were fraught with hardships, from slavery and child labor to factory fires and shutdowns. They endured job-related injuries and illnesses, strikes and the Great Depression. Writer Terri L. French details the lives, history and legacy of the employees.