Irish Labor

Irish laborers were vital in digging and maintaining the canals. The mills required a smooth and even flow of water to ensure efficiency and profit., Before 1850, Yankee mill managers considered Irishmen fit to dig canals and construct mills, but were less likely to hire them for mill work. Textile labor was largely restricted to the native-born., Every Saturday night the canals were drained. Sunday morning while others were at church, workers repaired canal walls and removed debris., (Inscription under the photograph in the lower left side of the marker) , Lowell Canal System, 1848. When finished in 1848, Lowell’s power canal system was the largest in the world., (Inscription in the upper left side of the photograph of the workers) , Men at work outside the Moody Street Feeder Gatehouse, 1897. Lowell National Historical Park.