Hanks Silk Mill at Its Original Site, Mansfield Center, Connecticut, 1931

THF110334 / Hanks Silk Mill at Its Original Site, Mansfield Center, Connecticut, 1931

Artifact Overview

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

26 October 1931

Subject Date

26 October 1931

Collection Title

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

EI.1929.3064

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process
Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 2.875 in
Width: 4.5 in

Inscriptions

Handwritten in ink on back of image: 10/26/31 Hanks Hill Mansfield Ctre., Conn Handwritten in pencil on back of image: copy neg B95457-A

Keywords	United States, Connecticut, Mansfield Center Photographic prints Photographs Mills (Buildings) Textile industry Silk industry Original sites Hanks Silk Mill

Artifact
Hanks Silk Mill
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.