Lucy Larcom was typical of many young mill girls who worked in one of the many mills in New England. She was born in Beverly, Massachusetts and in 1830 she and her mother moved to Lowell. In 1835 when she turned 11 she began working in a mill. Many of the girls arrived here alone, some from the countryside in neighboring towns or from further away, like Maine. Some stayed until they had saved enough money, got homesick, tired of the work or helped their parents through their hardship. Lucy worked in Lowell until age 22, then moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and several other places. Years later she became an English literature teacher at Wheaton College. She never married, died in Boston (see death register below) and is buried in Beverly, Massachusetts (see photo below).
The school children who visit Lowell, all learn about her and other mill girls, and there is quite about her life in the Mill Girls exhibit (maintained by the National Park Service).
Lucy Larcom Park in Lowell, Massachusetts.
(Above and below.)
Lucy lived in a Boarding House like this one in Lowell. There are period rooms in the Mill Girls and Immigrants Exhibit. This is free, open year round and maintained by the National Park Service. (At another time, I will show photos of the exhibit, but since this is about Lucy, I've decided to write about the exhibit separately.)
Short bio of Lucy Larcom displayed in one of the above Mill Girls and Immigrants Exhibit rooms.
Lucy died in Boston on April 17, 1893 at the Hotel Hoffman. I found her on the death register, last entry above, she was 69. See A New England Girlhood by Lucy Larcom and the site by the National Park Service.
Central Cemetery
Grass Avenue
Beverly, Massachusetts
The entry for her on FindAGrave is quite impressive. See HERE.
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