I found the article in the April 4 Sun Journal regarding the Lewiston Bates Mill No. 5 very interesting (“20 years gone, Bates Manufacturing is still weaving a legacy“).
Right after graduating high school and prior to becoming an architect, I went to work in the Mill No. 5, through the help of my father, who was a millwright employed at the Bates Mill facility.
My position was a washing machine operator, washing the many bedspreads that were being made in Mill No. 5. The most popular was the Martha Washington iconic spread, which kept the washing unit very busy.
The Martha Washington was the most popular spread for many years. And it still is — being woven in the facilities in, I believe, Winthrop. I have a Martha Washington presently on my bed.
Thank you for the wonderful history story.
Robert Libby, Auburn
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