In 1918, the world was at war, an influenza epidemic was ravaging the globe, and political movements for workers and women’s suffrage were gathering steam. Using recordings with individuals who lived and worked in the Brandywine Valley in 1918 and beyond, the oral history office at Hagley has launched a new podcast, titled The Millrace, exploring what life was like 100 years ago.
Inspired by Hagley's nineteenth-century millrace – the water channel that powered the machinery on the site for more than 100 years – The Millrace shares stories of enterprise and industry from through the voices of people who lived it.
The information used in the podcast derives from the Brandywine Valley Oral History Project, a collection of interviews with more than 150 individuals who lived and worked in the Brandywine Valley throughout the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century.
The first series of The Millrace includes four episodes exploring the potentially dangerous conditions of working in the powder yards among the other hardships of 1918: the flu epidemic and WWI. Listeners can subscribe to The Millrace on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever they get their podcasts. Find more Millrace episodes here or click on the banner below to listen to the first episode.
The Millrace is produced by the Hagley Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society.