In the mid 1830’s, the average workweek was six, twelve hour days. The mills were closed to observe four holidays during the year: Fast Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Daily Schedule
All the mills operated on the same time schedule. The ringing of the tower bells signaled daily tasks for the mill workers. A daily schedule is as follows: The first bell would ring at 4:30am to wake the operatives so they would be ready for the second bell at 4:50am that called them into the mills. Work began ten minutes later and continued until 7:00am when the bells rang for breakfast. The women hurriedly ate their breakfast for the bells would ring them back to the mill for 7:35am with work starting at 7:45 am. They would work until the noon bells signaled their dinner break. At 12:45pm the bells would ring for their return to work. The bells stayed silent for a stretch while the women worked from 12:45pm until 7:00pm. At 7:00pm the bells rang signaling the end of the workday. The mill bells rang out the curfew at 10:00pm.
Pay
Many young women from farms in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine were enticed by the generous pay offered at the Massachusetts Lowell Mills. The Lowell Mills offered the highest wages available to women anywhere in America in 1822. The average female mill worker’s pay ranged from $.44 to $1.58 per day, depending on her speed and skill. This was half the amount paid to male mill workers. For poor farm girls, the other alternative to working in the mills was domestic work that paid about fifty cents per week. Paychecks were handed out every Saturday afternoon.
Mill Floors
The interior design and organization of the factory floors were uniform between the mills. The waterwheel was placed in the basement to maximize the power generated and to protect the water from freezing temperatures. The different stories housed the carding, spinning, weaving, and dressing operations. Each operation occupied a single large room. An elevator connected the different floors, which allowed the materials to move from one step in production to the next. (Dublin, p.62)
