Reservoir Street leads to the town of Walter Jackson’s residence, and many other residences of families who work for the West Durham Cotton Mill

The Bane of a Cotton Mill Worker

A Cotton Mill of the 1930’s

Walter Jackson
Beth Jackson
William Jackson

Cotton Mill Workers
West Durham Cotton Mill
Durham, N.C.

July 21, 1937

Mark Foster - Interviewer

Reservoir Street leads to the town of Walter Jackson’s residence, and many other residences of families who work for the West Durham Cotton Mill. Walter Jackson is only forty-six, however his shoulders are beginning to sloop, his once brown hair is turning gray, and two front teeth are missing. He lives with his wife Beth and his sixteen-year-old son William, in a small three-roomed shanty. The house was once white but now is a dark brown from the chipped paint and the dark rotted wood. The planks are uneven, and in many places have holes or gaps. The kitchen/living room consists of a old corroded stove, a wooden table with three half-rotten chairs. The walls have the same appearance as the outside. The two bedrooms are simple and only consist of two beds and a beat up trunk.

"It has not always been like this," says Mr. Jackson, "We owned a tobacco farm in Wilson. We had a large white house, plenty of good food, good clothes,- then along came ole Roosevelt, and his Emergency Banking Relief Act. He closed our bank, and took all of our money, all of our hard-earned savings. We were forced to sell the farm, all of the land, and all of our belongings. We wondered the streets for months searching for work and shelter. Luckily, I heard about a job at a mill in Durham."

A spinning room in a cotton mill

Beth Jackson is a woman in her thirties, has long brown ragged hair and wears an old stained blue and white dress everyday. Shortly after the Jacksons arrived in Durham, Beth received permission from the superintendent of the mill to learn how to fill batteries. She did so for three weeks, hoping she will be offered a position and be paid. Her prayers were answered on the third Saturday, "the superintendent called me over and said he was going to put me to work."

Beth states that Walter is not content with his job. He is considered the best doffer in the mill, however during full-time work he makes less than eight dollars a week. "I once suggested that he should look into the WPA as a carpenter." However he responded angrily and in disbelief, "I will never work for the same people who took our money, our homes and our lives." The subject was never mentioned again. "I feel sorry for him." Beth says, "he used to be so well off, now he must be humiliated that he can barely support his family."

He is a bright handsome boy, who is very loyal to his family. William constantly labors in the cotton fields, deprived from using knowledge he had learned previously. He now has no time for any sort of education. He returns home each day with meager pay, a black dirty face, and soars and filth covering his body. "I remember the days where all I had to worry about was school work," William recalls, "Now I pick cotton for thirteen hours a day, then return home being welcomed by a bowl of cold rice and cornmeal. The mill owner, James, is cruel and does not treat the workers fairly, however I need not mention any of this to my family, for it only causes more concern and depression."

Several groups of mill workers joined a Union and striked, however the mill owners destroyed the Unions. They fired the Union workers and blacklisted them. Just like the textile worker strike in September of ’34. "We know we are treated unfairly, however, we must think of the other over 150,000 unemployed North Carolinians and their families suffering and in despair." "I just hope this ends soon for I dread we will not be able to make it through this era of suffering much longer."

The Jacksons are not the only family suffering in this community, many other West Durham Cotton Mill workers are experiencing the same misfortunes. The only thing these men and women can do now is to be strong and pray this time of suffering shall end soon.

Bibliography

Appleby, Joyse and Alan Brinkley and James McPherson. The American Journey. New
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At the Mary-Leila cotton mill in Greensboro, Georgia. [Online]. Available from:
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Bell, John and Jeffery J. Crow. North Carolina The History of an American State.
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The History of Old West Durham: Colorful Past, Bright Future. [Online]. Available
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I.L.M. (August 23, 1938). Four Families. [Online]. Available from:
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I.L.M. (July 5, 1938) Josephine Wallace. [Online]. Available from:
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W.O.F. (September 27, 1938). Ed and Mary Jackson. [Online]. Available from:
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