In conjunction with New Hampshire Humanities, Robert B. Perreault presented “Putting Human Faces on the Textile Industry: The Workers of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company,”

Daily life for the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company’s textile worker was not easy. Robert Perreault sheds light on how people from a variety of European countries as well as from French Canada made the transition from an agrarian to an industrial society and how that change affected families, cultures, the nature of work, and relationships among workers themselves.

Among the students of DALC are many new immigrants who may have faced similar experiences.  Adults from more than 40 countries attend classes at DALC, where they can learn to speak English, improve their English language skills or study for the citizenship exam.

Perreault’s lecture was part of a larger lesson to learn about the history of the mills; much of his content will apply to the experience of Dover’s millworkers as well.

Perreault has worked as a research assistant/oral history interviewer, librarian/archivist, freelance writer, historical tour guide, public speaker, photographer, and conversational French teacher to promote Manchester’s history and New England’s Franco-American culture since 1973.

The event was made possible by the Humanities to go program and a grant from NH Humanities.