LEWISTON – Museum L-A will hold two special program for school children during school vacation week.

The programs will give youngsters an opportunity to look inside the old mill. Lewiston is the home of several textile mills that spread across New England. Textile mills are where many young school-age children used to work.

On Tuesday and Thursday, Feb. 19 and 21, two afternoon programs at Museum L-A will give young folks opportunities to imagine what children must have endured when they worked in the huge, hot mills filled with noisy, dirty machines. Those children worked from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. instead of going to school.

Both programs will be led by Museum L-A Educator Annette Dorey.

The Tuesday program is for ages 8 and older. It will include the story of the “Bobbin Girl.” It is the story of Rebecca Putney, age 10, a bobbin girl who worked in a textile mill in the 1830s in Massachusetts.

Rebecca stands up to the mill manager who plans to cut their pay but expects the girls to still work all day. They work from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. for only $1.75 a week. Find out what happens when they protest. The museum will also offer a new game called “Then and Now.”

Thursday’s program will include History Detectives Scramble and Museum Bingo. Children age 10 and older are invited to bring their thinking caps and play the new games of investigation.

In both programs, participants will see the old machines where mill boys and girls worked – machines that made the famous Bates bedspreads. Children will take home a photo of themselves in the mill. Both programs are from 1 to 3 p.m.

Those interested should sign up by calling Museum L-A at 333-3881 to reserve a place in either or both programs. If there is a snow storm and other events are canceled, the vacation programs will be held the following day. The fee is $5 a child, or $7.50 for both programs.

Museum L-A is dedicated to documenting and celebrating the history of the workers of Lewiston-Auburn and the Industrial Revolution. The museum is preserving the heritage of the community so that future generations can learn from the culture. Museum L-A is open Tuesday through Saturday and is located at 35 Canal St. in the Bates Mill Complex.