Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
The People Behind the Mills
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
Listen
Transcript
Industrial history is often told through inventors, entrepreneurs and machines.
But factories depended on people.
Paterson attracted workers from many backgrounds, including immigrants who shaped the city's culture and economy.
The mills created opportunity, but industrial work also meant difficult conditions, long hours and social tensions.
A complete story of Paterson includes both innovation and the human cost of industrialization.