Belknap Mill Matters - Students arrive with spring

LACONIA — At the Belknap Mill, children are the harbinger of spring. Every year, a thousand elementary school students from around the state arrive to participate in the Industrial Heritage Program. As a historic cultural and community center, the Society thrives on opportunities to share its stories about the people who once lived and worked in our community. Many of us in the community are descendants of these men and women – people who worked hard to establish a middle-class standard of living, and who founded the schools, churches and other institutions that define our lives today.

Students arrive every morning through May and June to step into the role of an actual mill worker in 1918. "Step," in fact, is an apt choice of words, as it reminds us of the Mill's purpose: providing socks to keep feet warm and dry — a role it served for more than 150 years. (Socks, in fact, are more important than you know, but more on that in another article).

The program is crafted to be as faithful as possible to historic detail. The students don aprons and jackets, punch in on an antique time clock and are greeted by their firm new boss, Mr. J.P. Morin, enthusiastically portrayed by historic role-player Bill Nunamacher.

Throughout their visit, students move from the sluiceway on the Winnipesaukee to the Mill's Power House and Knitting Room, learning the process of making a sock, from the churning of the generators to sizing and packaging. Their day culminates in a simulated assembly line — demanding cooperation and teamwork as students demonstrate what they've learned. Before leaving, they each punch out and receive a dime — fair wages for a day's work in 1918.

Since it launched in 1997, the Industrial Heritage Program has provided a unique learning experience for nearly 20,000 students across New Hampshire. Simply put, there's nothing else quite like it anywhere in our state. And it's only possible because of the generous commitment of a team of volunteers, who arrive each morning to engage the students in conversation and learning. The Belknap Mill Society welcomes new volunteers — people who enjoy working with children and believe that sharing our community's stories is a vital and necessary endeavor. Please call us at 524-8813 to inquire about becoming a volunteer to support this unique and powerful program.

– Lisa Burk-McCoy, Belknap Mill Society

Students participate in an interactive activity as part of the Industrial Heritage Program at the Belknap Mill. (Courtesy photo)