I'm about to show you a short film that was done in the town that I lived in for 25 years.

Camden, Maine, and Camden, Maine.

Had the Nox Woolen Mills, one of the last woolen mills in New England.

This was the way town survived all over New England.

And I've loved every town that I've lived in.

And when I was in Camden each year I made a free documentary for somebody in the town on the Nox.

Woollen Mills were closing.

So this is kind of the last days of the Woollen Mills.

Well, why am I running it now?

Because some of my millennial colleagues and some folks who are commenting are talking about how different work is today from what it was back when this film was made in the 19 seventies.

And I think that's true.

At the time Cos.

Cared about their employees, the employees were dedicated to the companies.

They felt that the products they made had value, that they were proud of it.

I mean, I'm thinking of Jane Fonda's first husband.

I can't remember his name, but I can remember him once saying that he knew that America was in trouble when his father bought a Honda and his father worked in the Plymouth plant, making Plymouth American cars when he lost his confidence in the products he was making.

So I'm running.

It's in part from my millennial colleagues, because this is a beautiful way that they felt about a really hard, physical, crappy, noisy and somewhat dangerous job.

The Nox Woolen mill, Camden, Maine.

19 seventies.

No way I received your letter of January the 15th and wish to thank you very much for the same in regard to my becoming associated with the Nox Woman Company.

Owing to the very unusual circumstances, I'm going to bore you with the thumbnail sketch of how it came about.

I'm a machinist by trade, having Mr Bad the old gentleman that owned the smell years ago.

And I came in here.

It was always said that it is not quantity.

It is quality what they want.

That's what they wanted.

If you're getting paid, you should do the best you can.

My father and grandfather, I think both we're very, very interested in that product that felt they love him.

They were interested in him.

They didn't spend a lot of time reminiscing on what was what was back but really wanted to loved.

Loved the product.

Phils are endless belts that the paper companies used to cover their screen rules.

It's a very delicate web of paper goes through these rollers to get the excess water.

We make different films, depending on what they were making, from paper napkins to best reading paper Companies really loved.

We suppose there are mighty, few carted woollen mills in the United States, or even the whole wide world that are so successful as the NOx will in company at Camden, Maine.

But Knox is on specialties and has a tremendous management if you like it in the industry.

If anybody had told me 17 I'd still be here, it's 60.

I'd have probably called Amalia.

We couldn't have found a better place to work better.

People who work for for the regular run of the mill employees.

No, it wasn't the money.

I don't think it was the steadiness of it.

There were no worries.

I said once you were here, you were here till you either retired or died, whichever came first.

Uh, and that that.

That's that's pretty good.

You know, if you can depend, it was something you could depend on.

And it's a lot of people used to ask me.

Well, why do you stay in the mail?

Why do you stay there?

Why don't you fooled us of that?

And I said I make more money working in five days, and I would work in a secretary or whatever, because we were on piecework and I could make good money.

The work was clean, Good.

Along with the people.

I was happy.

You can imagine that never having work today in a textile mill.

I was taking on some job coming to the NOX Willing company as overseer of weaving.

But Mr Johnson came in mornings during the early part of my being here.

And he and I would figure out what was required for the warps in any changes that were required by the customers in the paper felt business as there is today.

We worked it out in this manner until I was able to take over.

Oh, every time I came down street, I come in the mail, you get a girl.

I don't know what I have to fit in.

So they gave me the job.

But one thought All we know, they said I didn't go for a week.

Lily, come back.

You turned out to be pretty fit.

Probably six.

Troy came back, and in the meantime, the boss well, came up and asked me.

I wanted lone away One.

Look, I came back.

I went downstairs.

They taught me the way.

Not been ever of a friend.

I used to come in all the time to visit.

Especially on a Thursday.

That was my best time to visit because I come in.

Sure.

In time you get paid.

Yes, Doll that I could borrow.

They always paid back then.

Yes.

Can I borrow a dollar to quantify lunch?

In turn?

I don't go to hot lunch.

Go down on my grandmother's.

Did you know about that?

Yep.

Okay.

Surprise.

March.

Next.

I will have been with the Nox Willing company 67 years.

There is now a new element coming into the picture, and that is the use of synthetic fiber in place of walls.

There is but one party who insists on pushing these synthetic fells.

Although if it finally succeeds, probably not more than half as many felt will be used as at the present time.

With the reduction in the number of felt used, some off the felt milk will undoubtedly have to go out of the business.

When synthetics like Dick Ron and nylon came along, everything changed around.

It wasn't easy to work with and we needed new machines.

You know, we used to stack with wool right from the sheep.

Now we have to buy these raw materials to make a fella if it makes you hot because you can't control the quality.

I think that we have the best organization at the present time that the NOX Willing Company has ever had in its history and will be able to stay in the business with any of our competitors.

Yours very truly.

C W bab treasurer January the 30th 1953.

It's a very sad thing to think that they're closing the doors because we've been a ah family so many, many years We won't see my Camden.

This mill has been here.

This has been 100 years.

It's been our life in many more people before us is not gonna seem right It was a very alive place.

It seemed to have a life of its own, over one above everything.

It still does.

Sometimes when I don't like to walk through it now, after work by myself, because I cry, I really do.

I can see all of these people that we're here for so long and still hear their voices.

It's sad.