Maine Memory Network

Woman working in Pepperell Mills, Biddeford, 1910

Contributed by: McArthur Public Library Date: 1910 Location: Biddeford Media: Photographic print

Sisters Working on Fancy Goods, Sabbathday Lake, ca. 1902

Contributed by: United Society of Shakers Date: circa 1902 Location: New Gloucester Media: Slide from a glass-plate negative

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.

Debates Over Suffrage

While numerous Mainers worked for and against woman suffrage in the state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some also worked on the national level, seeking a federal amendment to allow women the right to vote

Surry by the Bay - Phebe Fowler: A Woman of Property

"She had become a woman of property in an era when it was unusual for a married woman to own land in her own name. Olin died in 1922."

Lubec, Maine - Susie Calder: Lubec's Sardine Queen

"There was another woman on the other side of the table, and that was fun because you did socialize and have a little bit of life other than just…"

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.