LABOR MATERIAL IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN TEXTILE HISTORY.

The article presents information about the Museum of American Textile History (MATH) in Andover, Massachusetts, which was established in 1960 by Caroline Stevens Rogers, a descendent of Nathaniel Stevens who founded in 1813 what was to become one of New England's largest woolen companies. The Stevens woolen and worsted mills were finally closed in 1972 and the original site in North Andover was razed in 1974. The records of the company, scattered by vandals, were removed from a building on the company's premises and now form the core of the museum's manuscript collection. The museum's policy is to collect and preserve objects and information that promote an understanding of the history of textile production in this country and to encourage the study of its technological, social, labor, decorative arts, and business history. MATH staff has conscientiously collected labor-related material and has been encouraged to present labor's role in exhibits and publications. Consequently, the scope of the Museum's collecting encompasses the industry's management and labor history, decisions, and strategies.