In the time of textile mills

Massachusetts National Guardsmen with fixed bayonets surround a parade of strikers during 1912 Lawrence textile strike

“It is a long time since I flapped mv wings,

a long time since I stood on the roof of my house

in Lawrence, Mass., or Michael's in No. Andover,

a little whiskey in one hand, the past slipping

through the other, a little closer to the heaven of

dreams ….

“From where we stood I could see the steeple of the French
church. Further back, it was 1912, and I could almost
see the tenements of the French women who worked

the fabric mills …

weaving the deadly dust into their lungs….’’

— From “The Angels of 1912 and 1972,’’ by Richard Jackson

Distribution of French Canadians in the U.S. Census

'The opposite of today'

The Ayer Mill in Lawrence

“Don’t even try looking for him where he grew up

in Lawrence, Mass. The whole town is burning.

The remarkable thing about tomorrow is that everything is

the opposite of today. The shadow that now stalks you

becomes your confessor….’’

— From “No Fault Love,’’ by Richard Jackson