Recounting the Strike of 1852: A Story by Henry Clemens

This “broadside” was published by the owners of the Salisbury Manufacturing Company in response to the strike organized by workers in 1852. Click to enlarge. (Collections of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.)

On June 1, 1852, in the mills of the Salisbury Manufacturing Company, the new agent for the company - John Perley Derby (1822 - 1907) - introduced a change in the work schedule. Derby eliminated what had been known as the "noon privilege" - a 30 minute break in what typically was a 12 hour day. So began a bitter strike between the millworkers and the new agent. An event that was never completely settled - but one that inspired the George McNeill (1837 - 1906) - a young laborer in the mills - to dedicate his life to improving the conditions of workers. McNeill was a son of an Amesbury family. He is memorialized with the Friend Street park in his name and through an annual award given to Amesbury students.

The ACM is pleased to share a fictional story written by Henry Clemens. Henry was enrolled in the InventiveLabs program in Amesbury and toured the millyard as part of his orientation. Henry's short narrative interprets the time and experiences of working people of Amesbury during the strike.

Click here to download the story as a PDF file.

The Amesbury Carriage Museum is thrilled to encourage the work of students to explore local history. And we are pleased to make Henry's essay - “Recounting the Strike” - available to you.