Hanks Silk Mill
Add to SetSummary
As America was taking its first steps towards industrialization, the Hanks family of Mansfield, Connecticut, made early attempts to mechanize the production of silk thread. Rodney Hanks and his nephew Horatio Hanks built this mill in 1810. It was the first silk mill in America, producing some of the first silk with machines that were powered by a waterwheel.
As America was taking its first steps towards industrialization, the Hanks family of Mansfield, Connecticut, made early attempts to mechanize the production of silk thread. Rodney Hanks and his nephew Horatio Hanks built this mill in 1810. It was the first silk mill in America, producing some of the first silk with machines that were powered by a waterwheel.
Artifact
Mill (Building)
Date Made
1810
Creators
Place of Creation
United States, Connecticut, Tolland county
Creator Notes
Built in 1810 by Rodney Hanks and his nephew Horatio Hanks in the hamlet of Hanks Hill, near Mansfield in Tolland County, Connecticut.
On Exhibit
at Greenfield Village in Liberty Craftworks District
Object ID
31.1088.2
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Wood (Plant material)
Glass (Material)
Dimensions
Width: 12 ft
Length: 28 ft
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