Maine Memory Network

Women and men in manufacturing, Brewer, 2006

Contributed by: Maine Folklife Center, Univ. of Maine Date: 1982–2004 Location: Brewer Media: Compact disc

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Logging camp crew, ca. 1900

Contributed by: Patten Lumbermen's Museum Date: circa 1900 Media: photographic print

Laboring in Maine

Workers in Maine have labored in factories, on farms, in the woods, on the water, among other locales. Many of Maine's occupations have been determined by the state's climate and geographical features.

Working Women of the Old Port

Women at the turn of the 20th century were increasingly involved in paid work outside the home. For wage-earning women in the Old Port section of Portland, the jobs ranged from canning fish and vegetables to setting type. A study done in 1907 found many women did not earn living wages.

Lubec, Maine - Canning Sardines in Lubec: Technology, the Syndicate and Labor

"1912Lubec Historical Society From the labor perspective, these women and the lone child must be from the packing room. There are no “cutters” here."

Swan's Island: Six miles east of ordinary - Women's Firsts

"Women in positions as town officials and committee members, however, showed significant change over the same time period, slowly including more women…"

I work as a Journeyman Mechanic, or Millwright at Catalyst
by Linda Deane

Working on a paper machine and as a Millwright can be challenging as a woman and a Union Rep.

Being a woman Union member was a challenge in the paper mill
by Cindy Bennett

I worked in the paper mills and for the Union during the 1987 strike.