I'd never visited this south-central part of the state; just east of the Connecticut River. Moodus, where I stayed, is part of the town of East Haddam (the town's website has some great historical photographs). The stone walls, thick woods and old farmhouses feel more like Vermont than the Connecticut I'm familiar with. The name Moodus was derived from the Algonquian Matchetmadosett.
According to Wikipedia, Moodus was the 19th century"twine capital of America", with up to 12 mills, the last of which closed in 1977. There was a capitalism in Moodus in 1877 when the elegant Goodspeed Opera house opened in East Haddam. How did work and pay, capital and profit play out then? How was that different in 1920? And 1979? And now? In the supermarket in nearby Colchester I heard a cashier talking with her customer and the cashier next to her: "today I'm earning what I'm worth because I'm getting time and a half - other days I don't get what I deserve".
