Title: Oral History Interview with Jessie Lee Carter, May 5, 1980. Interview H-0237.
Identifier: H-0237
Interviewer: Tullos, Allen
Interviewee: Carter, Jessie Lee
Subjects: Greenville (S.C.)--Social life and customs    Women in the textile industry    Children--Employment--South Carolina    Textile industry--South Carolina--History    Trade-unions--Textile workers--South Carolina--Greenville    
Extent: 00:00:01
Abstract:  Jessie Lee Carter grew up in rural South Carolina and spent years working in a textile mill before marriage interrupted her working life. In this interview, she recalls her employment at Brandon Mill—where she began work at the age of twelve—and her life in a mill town. This interview offers some insights into the rhythms of rural life and work, including family life and recreation; the workers' daily schedule and the atmosphere on the factory floor; gender and racial segregation; and attitudes toward unionization. Like many of her peers in this interview collection, Carter enjoyed her work at the mill and took advantage of a relaxed work environment, chatting with her coworkers, many of whom were her relatives, as she worked. Carter complements these recollections of her working life with memories of a somewhat self-sufficient upbringing in a mill town.