Facts: Maryland Silk Mill
Photo: Old Silk (View larger version)
- The Lonaconing Mill was owned by the Klotz Silk Company, one of the top silk producers in the country.
- Construction on the mill began in 1905 and was completed two years later. The mill cost $100,000 to build between the building and the equipment.
- In the 1920's the mill employed over 300 people. By the 1930's, new materials, such as rayon, were introduced, and silk production began to decline.
- Bobbin boys (and girls) were children who worked in the factories as runners and fixers of minor machine problems.
- The number of bobbin boys and other child laborers declined sharply after the passing of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which put restrictions on child labor.
- During World War II, the mill struggled because of the trade embargo placed on Japan, a major supplier of silk. They used what silk they had to produce parachute thread for the military. In addition to Japan, raw silk for American silk factories also came from China and the Koreas.
- On July 7, 1957, after a labor dispute, the employees left, and the mill closed forever.
- Silk Throwing is the process of turning raw silk into the yarn that knitters and weavers use.
- In addition to buckets, many factories also had fire extinguishers and fireman's axes to help fight fires, which were considered a factory's worst nightmare.
- Silk comes from silk worms, who produce silk after eating mulberry leaves. They then spin out the silk when they create cocoons for the silk moths.
- In 1957, when the factory closed, the federal minimum wage was 75 cents an hour.
- It is believed that the Lonaconing Mill is the last of its kind still intact in the United States.
