The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-03-09
West Upton Straw Shop.

West Upton Straw Shop.
Many Maine Girls Work In Them. Their
Boarding Places.
[Boston Sunday Globe.
One of the most interesting samples
of dormitory life in New England, out
side the towns where there are colleges,
can be found in West Upton, where for
, four or five months each year there
are many straw hat workers employed
| who come from all parts of New Eng
| land.
Maine sends to West Upton every
winter the largest representation of Wis
iting working girls, but many come from
the provinces, and some from an even
greater distance.
A conservative estimate would place
the number of Out-of- town girls employ
ed in West Upton's hatshop at nearly
800, it being probable, however, that
many of them credit their residential
rights to Upton.
At the present time there are fully
500 girls who are engaged in the various
departments for women in hatmaking
| here.
| They are employed to make the hats
and the strawShOp girl is q most i'm
portant requisite; in fact, without fe-
male experts in the various depart
ments, the straw hat industry would be
dismal failure.
Men, of course, are employed to do
the work that only men can do, but the
women-girls, as they will probably al
| ways be called-are indispensable.
As stated above, the large percentage
of visiting strawshop girls hail from
the State of Maine. There are smaller
delegations in the different rooms from
every New England State, the Massa-
chusetts delegation, of course, leading
in this list.
The city of Portland is probably more
literally represented than any other in
the Pine Tree commonwealth, but
many well-known places from Kittery
to Eastport are credited by the young
ladies as the homes from which they
come.
There are number of persons from
New Brunswick, some from New York,
and few years ago one of the most
expert machine operators ever employ
ed in West Upton came from Ken
lucky. Kennebunk and Bath are among
the Maine towns having good delega-
tions, and Eastport, Rockland, Show
hogan and Old Town have for years had
representatives registered on the board
ing house book as guests.
Some of the other Maine towns from
which the girls come to work III West
Upton are Camden, Hampden, Belfast,
Brewer, Waterville, Livermore Falls,
Do IoSn nonnucuil1o Nnohinn
Saco, Rockland, BucHsport, Monroe,
South Bristol, South Newcastle, Thorn
aston, and Damariscotta;. from Massa-
chusetts, Boston, Worcester, South
birmingham, Amherst, Milford, Hope
dale, Brimfeld, Springfield, Franklin,
Mansfield, Grafton, Haverhill, Mendon,
Truro, Maiden, Pigeon Cove, Brockton,
Whitinsville, Uxbridge and Brookfield
are some of the places represented.
Taftsville, vt, Hartford, Conn.,, Pas
coag, Olneyville and Woonsocket, r. l.,
send workers to Upton, and numerous
representatives of New Hampshire are
among the employed.
The winter colony" in West Upton
begins to be in evidence shortly after
Thanksgiving time, and its members
occupy prominent place in West Up
toms life until May.
This life is most interesting. 1t rep
resents the American working girl of
highest plane and suggests itself for all
who like home and country life in a
pretty and enterprising New England
town.
There are two large boarding houses
in West Upton, one with 60 rooms and
81 guests, at another there are 40 guests.
At each of these none but women are
admitted as boarders.
The 6O-room "hotel, exclusively used
by the young ladies, is conducted by the
straw hat firm, with Miss Nettie Smith
as matron. The other house, while
| smaller, is quite as thoroughly after the
Smith, and the guests also embrace the
! typical hatshop girl in the truest sense.
The hotel Pleasant in Knowlton hall,
| is a modern country hotel and is lib
orally patronized by the help.
These houses are models of neatness,
and a visit to either gives evidence of
! the care taken by the managers OF the
comfort and health of those who boarp
| there.
The rooms are nicely lighted and fine
ly heated; they are clean and always
well kept.
The sleeping room of a model straw
shop girl is model of the girl herself,
and in West Upton, it is an interesting
! study to look at them. The apartments,
besides being we'll furnished, are made
attractive by the girls themselves, many
of them being decked in den-like splen-
dor and girlish fancy.
The general care of the inmates of
these girls hotels is matter of credit
not only to the firm whose business is
responsible for their presence in West
Upton, but source of pride to Upton
people.
Plenty of good food is provided in
these houses, the girls being suree of
three square meals each day; their gen.
eral comfort is carefully looked after
in every particular, and the average
West Upton strawshop girl is generally
healthy, happy and contented.
Many of the visitors have private
rooms in residences in West Upton;
several hire rooms in homes and take
their meals in the village restaurant,
and some "keep house" for themselves,
hiring rooms and doing their own cook
ing, etc. =
The hundreds of out-of- town girls who