Ettrick in Chesterfield County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Local Workforce At The Mills
Virginia State University
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 8, 2020
1. Local Workforce At The Mills Marker
Inscription.
Local Workforce At The Mills. Virginia State University. A small village was established by the early 1800's along the Appomattox River with 200 workers who operated the cotton mill. Millworkers' housing from the mid- 19th century onward is one of the outstanding features of the Ettrick Historic District. Nearly all residents of Ettrick in 1859 , 830 individuals , were laborers or craftsmen craftsmen, such as carpenters, machinists, and blacksmiths. Two-thirds of the male population worked in Petersburg. Ettrick's cotton mills mostly employed female workers. Since crafts and trades were restricted to men, the only positions open to women were unskilled, low-paying mill jobs. Many children worked alongside these women. Census records from 1870 confirm this pattern of children workers. Each census page for Ettrick lists several children "working at mill", some as young as 10 years old.
A small village was established by the early 1800's along the Appomattox River with 200 workers who operated the cotton mill. Millworkers' housing from the mid- 19th century onward is one of the outstanding features of the Ettrick Historic District. Nearly all residents of Ettrick in 1859 — 830 individuals — were laborers or craftsmen craftsmen, such as carpenters, machinists, and blacksmiths. Two-thirds of the male population worked in Petersburg. Ettrick's cotton mills mostly employed female workers. Since crafts and trades were restricted to men, the only positions open to women were unskilled, low-paying mill jobs. Many children worked alongside these women. Census records from 1870 confirm this pattern of children workers. Each census page for Ettrick lists several children "working at mill", some as young as 10 years old.
77° 25.044′ W. Marker is in Ettrick, Virginia, in Chesterfield County. It is on Chesterfield Avenue (Virginia Route 36), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Petersburg VA 23803, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont, in Central Virginia, and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Ettrick (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Additional keywords. child labor
Credits. This page was last revised on May 9, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 9, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 524 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 9, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
