Watkins Mill: Factory on the Farm

Amazon.com Price: $29.95 (as of 02/03/2019 08:29 PST- Details)

Description

When Waltus Watkins, a successful farmer and entrepreneur, made up our minds to open a woollen mill on his rural western Missouri property in the late 1850s, he used to be not just undertaking any other commercial venture. By locating the factory on his farm quite than in some of the thriving nearby towns, Watkins used to be making a conscious decision to blend agriculture and industry. In so doing, he addressed a philosophical question that had been raised a generation before by Thomas Jefferson and others: the role of technology in a in large part agrarian society. As the US entered the Industrial Revolution and then the Civil War, the folkways and nature of work changed drastically. Watkins Mill reflects that transition, as Watkins embraced new technologies yet clung to a more traditional and paternalistic management style. In looking for to shape the values and habits of his employee-neighbours through local institutions such as the school and church, he left his mark on an entire community. Sixteen pages of full-colour photos of the mill buildings, machines, documents, and textiles still remaining at the Watkins Mill State Historic Website lend a hand tell the story of a distinct midwestern stage of nineteenth-century industrialism, as played out in western Missouri by one enterprising individual.

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Americas » United States » State and Local » Watkins Mill: Factory on the Farm

Recent Products