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MORNINGS ON MAPLE STREET |
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William & Fred Crocker, Page One |
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"I never knew my grandfather. He deserted my mother. He was married to my grandmother, Essie Crocker, who was
seven months pregnant with my mother when he took off." -Judy Marshall, granddaughter of William Crocker "He (William Crocker) often
told the story that when he was young, he was drinking, got a gun, went into the mills, and shot up the looms. But later,
he got saved and became an itinerant preacher. -Charlotte Hobbs, wife of the minister of William Crocker's church "My father was a very kind
man, very soft spoken. My mother and father were married 46 years, and I never heard them raise their voices." -Nadine
Nesbitt, daughter of Fred Crocker "Thanks
to these poor children who were photographed, child labor laws were enacted. Being forced to work instead of going to school
is most certainly why Fred never learned to read or write." -Nancy Meissner, niece of Fred Crocker
************************** In 1888, investors, including J.L. Agurs and T.H. White, opened
the Chester Manufacturing Company, the town's first cotton mill. In 1900, they opened the Wylie Mill, which eventually became
part of Springs Industries, a large and ever-expanding textiles manufacturer. In 1975, then called the Gayle Mill, it closed
permanently.
Wylie Mill, Chester, S.C.
Plenty of young children. Location: Chester, South Carolina, November 1908, Lewis Hine.
"In general, I found these (mills) in South Carolina
were considerably worse than conditions in North Carolina, both as to the age and number of small children employed, though
several of the mill towns in North Carolina approached the worst ones in South Carolina. In Chester, South Carolina, an overseer
told me frankly that manufacturers all over the South evaded the child labor law by letting youngsters who are under age help
older brothers and sisters. The names of the younger ones do not appear on the company books and the pay goes to the older
child who is above twelve." -Lewis Hine, from a 1909 National Child Labor Committee report
Mr. Smith, overseer in Wylie
Mill, Chester, S.C. He will not let his children work in the mill. Says it is no place for them. Plenty of children below
12 in his mill. He said that it is a common practice all through the South for employers in cotton mills to evade the child
labor law by allowing young children to help their older sisters or brothers. The name of the small child is not on the
books. "That is the way we manage it." Nov. 28/08. Location: Chester, South Carolina / Photo by Lewis W. Hine. |
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