With this long history of hard-won—and hard-lost—battles, it’s no wonder that the mill represents something nearly holy to the people who work within its borders. It’s a memorial to the people who have lost their lives on the job. It’s a shrine to the men and women who have been killed or injured in the fight for better pay and safer working conditions. It’s a testament to the sacrifice and ingenuity that built a nation, but that’s not the story that people usually remember.
