Women and children have always worked. But throughout much of history, their jobs were often domestic – around the home, the farm, or the neighborhood.

The Industrial Revolution changed that. Women and children began to work outside the home, and sometimes even far from home. They were cheap labor for America’s expanding industries. The 1870 federal census showed 1 out of 8 children were employed, a number that would rise to 1 in 5 by 1900. And these were children as young as 10, sometimes even younger.

At the start of the 20th Century, the political winds began to change. Hiring children became less acceptable and companies like Hopedale’s Draper Corporation rewrote their own history to hide their workers’ past.

Join historian and Hopedale Women’s History Project founder Linda Hixon to learn more about women and children in the working world and how their labor helped shape this country.

Ms. Hixon’s presentation will be held on Saturday, June 10, from 11 a.m. to noon at the Samuel Slater Experience, 31 Ray Street, Webster. The event is free; registration is requested at Eventbrite.com. 

Women and Children on the Time Clock is sponsored in part by the Webster Cultural Council. 

About Samuel Slater Experience

Samuel Slater Experience opened last year to tell the story of Samuel Slater, the beginnings of the American Industrial Revolution, and Slater’s impact on mill towns such as Webster, Massachusetts.  Described as “Disney-like,” Samuel Slater Experience employs state-of-the- art 4-D digital technology with immersive video and interactive exhibits to recreate two time periods: the early 1800s and the early 1900s. For more information and tickets, visit www.samuelslaterexperience.org.