WHEN TO GO
Loading…
United StatesSaved
On Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation offers a free, 45-minute tour about women who worked in textile mills in Waltham and Lowell. The tour covers part of the exhibits; regular admission is requested to see the rest of the museum.
All times are local to the venue · America/New York
Friday, November 20, 2026, 11:00–11:45 AM. The museum describes the tour as 45 minutes.
The story of early industry here includes more than factories and machinery. THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG turns to the women who worked in the mills, using their songs, artifacts and images to examine the work and labor organizing that helped shape industrial America.
The tour focuses on women who worked for the Boston Manufacturing Company and in the Boston Associates’ textile mills in Waltham and Lowell. Their songs appear alongside artifacts and images of the workers, putting women’s labor at the center of the industrial history being discussed.
The museum describes New England’s mill women as the first industrial workforce in the United States. It connects their work to the growth of the industrial economy and to a challenge to the assumption that women could not be breadwinners. The tour also addresses their involvement in early workers’ rights movements and trade unions—useful context for understanding the mill women as participants in labor history, not simply symbols of industrial change.
Further reading: THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG — Charles River Museum ↗ · The Mill Girls In Story & Song in Waltham ↗
The Charles River Museum is housed in the historic 1814 Boston Manufacturing Company textile mill, which the museum describes as America’s first factory. The building gives the tour a direct connection to Waltham’s role in the story, while the subject also reaches to the Boston Associates’ mills in Lowell.
Further reading: Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, Upcoming Events ↗ · THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG — Charles River Museum ↗
The event description says the songs written by mill women are recordings from a museum concert featuring historical folk singer Diane Taraz. It does not list Taraz as a live performer at the Nov. 20 tour.
The tour runs from 11 to 11:45 a.m. and is listed as 45 minutes.
THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG — Charles River Museum ↗ · The Mill Girls In Story & Song in Waltham ↗
The free tour covers a limited section of the exhibits. Visitors who stay to see the remainder of the museum are asked to pay regular admission; the event listing does not state the amount.
THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG — Charles River Museum ↗ · The Mill Girls In Story & Song in Waltham ↗
The event details do not specify whether advance booking is required or how to book. Contact the museum if you need to confirm arrangements before visiting.
THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG — Charles River Museum ↗ · The Mill Girls In Story & Song in Waltham ↗
The event is at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, 154 Moody St, Waltham, MA 02453. The museum’s directions describe its visitor entrance and route from nearby parking; use the map links to calculate directions from your starting point.
THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG — Charles River Museum ↗ · Directions ↗
The museum has no visitor parking on site. Do not park in the Francis Cabot Lowell Mill lots: the museum warns that vehicles without a mill-approved permit—including vehicles with accessible parking permits—may be towed.
Nearby public options listed by the museum are the Embassy Public Parking Garage at 42 Cooper St, Carter Street Lot at 3 Carter St, Crescent Street Parking Lot at 24 Crescent St, Walnut Street Lot at 41 Walnut St, and Common Street Lot at 68 Common St. The museum lists municipal-lot rates as $1 per hour or $6 for a full day.
From Cooper Street or the Embassy garage, the museum directs visitors over the Charles River on the Landry footbridge. After crossing, turn east; the visitor entrance is about 100 yards ahead.
Directions ↗ · Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, Upcoming Events ↗
The museum lists Waltham station on the MBTA Fitchburg Line as nearby. MBTA bus routes 70, 505, 553, 554, 556 and 558 serve the area.
Directions ↗ · Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, Upcoming Events ↗
A wheelchair lift serves the visitor entrance. The museum says the Main Gallery, first-floor exhibits and facilities, and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. The event listing does not specify the tour’s exact route, so check with the museum if you need to confirm access to particular exhibits.
The mezzanine, which includes the Watch Gallery and Measurement exhibit, requires staff assistance; an exterior ramp reaches it through the Jackson Room function space. For visitors with very restricted mobility who need the service entrance, the museum describes direct vehicle drop-off and wheelchair access to the Main Gallery. It asks visitors who can to call ahead at 781-893-5410. There is no visitor parking at that entrance.
No. It covers a limited section of exhibits; visitors who stay to see the rest are asked to pay regular admission. The amount is not stated in the event details.
THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG — Charles River Museum ↗ · The Mill Girls In Story & Song in Waltham ↗
The event description refers to recordings of songs from a museum concert featuring Taraz. It does not list her as a live performer for this tour.
THE MILL GIRLS IN STORY & SONG — Charles River Museum ↗ · The Mill Girls In Story & Song in Waltham ↗
The museum describes its visitor entrance, Main Gallery and first-floor exhibits as wheelchair accessible. Mezzanine access requires staff assistance, and the event listing does not specify the tour route; contact the museum about the exhibits you need to reach.
There is no visitor parking on site. The museum lists nearby public lots and warns that parking in the Francis Cabot Lowell Mill lots may result in towing, including for vehicles with accessible parking permits.
154 Moody St, Waltham, MA 02453
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.
Images from the linked sources. Each caption identifies the context of the image.
Event, planning and background information checked 2026-11-02 against the linked sources.