Originally published on News Center Maine on November 4th, 2022, by Jake Richards.
BIDDEFORD, Maine — At the Lofts at Saco Falls in Biddeford, a bronze statue honoring mill workers of the 19th century was unveiled to the public.
“The workers here really founded this community in a lot of ways. Founded the community we know today, and yet, the evidence of their presence isn’t here anymore. So, we wanted to rectify that in a small way to have a statue that represents the workers.” Nathan Szanton, president of The Szanton Company, said.
The Szanton Company commissioned the statue from Colorado-based artist Jane DeDecker.
DeDecker named the work "Can you see me?"
The statue depicts a woman mill worker and her child and is intended to portray the challenges women mill workers faced daily between 1840 and through the 1950s.
“[It] represents the generations of workers who worked so hard and such long hours, often in dangerous conditions. Often trying to juggle their children at the same time because there was no childcare,” Szanton said.
After the unveiling, people were invited to tour the Lofts at Saco Falls, which is a residential complex repurposed from a 19th-century mill.
The statue stands in the courtyard between the Lofts at Saco Falls and Blaze Brewing Company off Pearl Street.