The Samuel Slater Experience
31 Ray Street
Webster, Massachusetts
You’ve probably seen dozens of individuals tagged as “The Father of X” or “The Mother of Y.” Generally that’s as much hype as reality, but Samuel Slater (1768-1835) was indeed the “Father of the American Industrial Revolution.” Depending on your point of view, he was either a boy genius or a thief. In Britain, he’s “Slater the Traitor.”
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| Arkwright waterframe |
Young Slater might have been brilliant, but his low stature as an indentured servant in an English textile factory meant he could never be a mill owner or superintendent. In response, he memorized the designs for the Arkwright water frame and an automatic spinning machine that propelled Britain to the fore of European industrial production. In 1789, just a year after the U.S. Constitution was ratified, Slater risked imprisonment to slip out of England and sail to the United States. He went into partnership with Moses Brown (of Brown University fame) and after a few false starts, set up the first successful textile factory on American soil at Pawtucket Falls, Rhode Island.
Slater’s model of small-scale factories employing children and families was dubbed the “Rhode Island System” and dominated textile production until it was surprised by the larger investment capital mills of the “Waltham System.” (The latter shifted to the giant mills in Massachusetts–Lowell, Lawrence, Holyoke–and New Hampshire cities such as Nashua and Manchester). But until 1814, American industrialization was centered in Blackstone River mill villages such as Slatersville, RI and Dudley, Oxford, and Hopedale, MA. Not coincidentally, Slater made a fortune.
One of Slater’s most successful ventures was launched in Webster, MA hard by the Connecticut line. Early textile mills depended upon water and Webster sports a large lake the Nipmuc called Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg. It’s still officially called that, but you try saying it! Most just say Lake Webster.
The Samuel Slater Experience (SSE) tells his story and the industrial history of Webster. It departs from other similarly-themed museums in that it’s more interactive. After an opening gallery that displays an Arkwright frame and a hand spinning machine, one follows a path to various stops where holographic figures appear. Early we see Slater in conversation with his master, Jedediah Strutt, who tells Sam to be happy with his lot. Another display takes us to a mock ship’s deck fronted by rolling waves. A seasick Slater walks to the front of the hold, the waves swell to wild storm pitch and (small) sprays of water “splash from the ceiling.
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| Slater's Office |
From there it’s a series of animations that tell of his rise to fortune and influence. As is generally the situation in museums dedicated to successful individuals one can get a bit tired of perseverance and glorification; those who have studied industrial history sometimes take umbrage with theme park-like hokeyness. Yet, it’s wise to remind yourself that a majority of Americans don’t have college educations and need a bit of Disneyesque flash to hold their attention.
To the SSE’s credit, it does display an older Slater as more ruthless in his business decisions. One display of actors-in-role gives various take on life in Webster. These include several workers, a female Polish immigrant, a child laborer, residents of Webster, admirers, and a few Slater detractors. These, of course, are somewhat sanitized because, once again, the audience is not academia. You could say, with merit, that the SSE is melodramatic in places and historically inaccurate in others. For instance, many of the photos used to call attention to child labor are from Lewis Hine in the early 20th century, not from Slater’s time on earth. (There were no American photographs until four years after Slater died.)
On another level, one could make the case that such images are justified as they hold the essence of the industrial system that Slater unleashed and portend what developed in the city of Webster. This is grounded in some truth; places such as Webster and Lowell were atypical. Thomas Jefferson held the view that machines should remain forever in Europe. He lost that debate, but agrarian ideals reigned for most of the 19th century and it wasn’t until 1920 that a census revealed more individuals making their living in something other than agriculture.
The last part of the SSE is dedicated to the history of Webster. It celebrates the era of trolley cars, movies, thriving retail trade, and nightlife–most of it fueled by industrial dollars. If it is a romanticized version of the past, why not? Webster still has a nice lake, but it’s a toss-up if a postindustrial Webster is an improvement.
Rob Weir
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