Dutchess Bleachery
In addition to the Creek, the Bleachery depended on the hard work of its employees, the majority of whom were immigrants, to perform the rigorous tasks of bleaching. The first step involved in bleaching is the boiling of the cloth. In large vats, cloth is boiled overnight to remove impurities. The second step in the process is bleaching. Here the boiled cloth was put into large washing machines, and soaked in a bleach solution until very white. The next step after bleaching is starching, in which the bleached cloth is fed through rollers to flatten it and starch is distributed atop. The cloth is then left to dry. The final step was calendaring which was a process by which the cloth was fed through rollers and stretched. After it is taken off the calendaring rollers it is folded and packed up. Bleaching was considered an unskilled labor job and men did the majority of it.
During World War I and after the War the Dutchess Bleachery was the major employer for the Village of Wappingers Falls. As the need for textiles increased, so did the demands on the workers. In 1924 the Russel Sage Foundation performed a study on the Dutchess Bleachery, it was found that discontent amongst the workers was high. The research noted that the employees of the Bleachery received low wages, worked long hours, had no recourse in regards to complaints. They lived in “dilapidated” company housing and were on the whole “sullenly angry but remained passive.” In an effort to ease employee discontent, the management of the Dutchess Bleachery embarked on creating a new governing system, properly titled the Partnership Plan.