Ma’s Resources:

Ma’s Bobbin Works specializes in refurbishing mill relics. Our customers often ask us about the origin of our products. In response to those requests we have developed this page. Read on to learn about the history of our products, what sites and books Ma recommends, and where you can go today to learn firsthand about bobbins and other mill products.

A Brief History:

The Industrial Revolution (1790’s–1860’s) was an important time in America’s history. The Revolution brought about many changes in the labor and textile industries. On average women worked a 72-hour week with few breaks. The mill itself was a dangerous place to work with shuttles flying off looms, and a constant humid, 100-degree climate. In response to the poor working conditions, the women of the mills organized America’s first labor strikes and formed the first labor unions.

Bobbins and the machinery they ran on were some of the greatest inventions of the Victorian Era. Developed as a way to manage heaps of thread, bobbins revolutionized textile manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. Many textile mills had their own machine shops and their own favorite shape of bobbin which accounts for their varied designs. Traditional wooden bobbins have been retired from most current day manufacturing. Modern economics does not favor the use of wooden bobbins since a large degree of handwork is involved in making them and they are not well suited to synthetic fibers and high-speed machinery.

Recommended Books:

“The World of Wooden Bobbins” A resource book published by The Discovery Collection telling the story of old wooden textile bobbins: their place in the history, in the hands of the collector, and in the home. Available through Ma!

“The Bobbin Girl” A beautifully illustrated children’s book by Emily Arnold McCully about a 10-year old girl who works in the Lowell mill to earn money to help her struggling family. The story explains the rules and expectations of a mill girl and the surprising event that happens when the worker’s wages are reduced.

“The Lowell Mill Girls” A collection of historical essays and fiction published by Discovery Enterprises, Ltd. that tells the history of female mill workers in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Links to Recommended websites:

http://www.riverpointlace.com/lippitt_mill_history.htm
Through text and illustration this site provides an in-depth explanation of the textile history and process. Riverpoint Lace Works, Inc. specializes in dyeing and finishing lace. Riverpoint Lace, Inc. operates out of the Lippitt Mill in Rhode Island. Built in 1809, Lippitt Mill is America’s oldest continuously operated mill.

http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cumbria/stott-park.htm
How were wooden bobbins made? This question is answered in The Stott Park Bobbin Mill webpage. Located in England’s beautiful Lake District, this mill made bobbins for the textile mills.

http://womenshistory.about.com/homework/womenshistory/cs/worklowellmill/ This site offers several links to information about the women who worked in the mills of Lowell, Massachusetts. Read about the women’s experience working in the mills and living in Lowell.

You can purchase the "Mill Times Video" from PBS online. This animated program features a story that centers on a small New England community similar to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where the first textile mill in America was established by Samuel Slater. The live action hosted by David Macaulay, takes us from Manchester, England, to Lowell, Massachusetts. Along the way, the host guides viewers through the technological changes that transformed the making of textiles, which became a key component of the Industrial Revolution that swept across Europe and America in the late 18th century.

Visit:

The American Textile Museum
491 Dutton Street
Lowell, MA 01854
Phone: 978-441-0400


The last full process mill in the Southwest. Built in 1939.
407 South Main El Dorado
Central, TX
Phone: 915-853-2541


America’s oldest continuously operated textile mill
Riverpoint Lace Works, Inc. – In the Lippitt Mill
825 Main Street
West Warwick, RI 02893
Phone: 402-821-2070