Jul 25, 2016
Editor’s note: For a history assignment at the Montrose School, ninth grader Maddie Marcucci wrote this paper on straw hat manufacturing. It was the dominant industry in Medfield from the early 19th century until 1956, when owner Tofias closed the factory after the employees voted in a union. Maddie based the paper on research she conducted at the Medfield Historical Society.
It started so simply.
A 12 year old, Betsey Metcalf, sees a bonnet in Providence, RI, and wants to make one for herself. People in Providence teach her how to braid, and then she teaches others so that they can enjoy the new fashion statement as well. Over time, the interest in hats as a fashion accessory becomes a thriving business.
The material that Betsey uses (straw) is available at no cost because of the agricultural society that America is in the 1800s. Women bleach the straw with brimstone (sulfur) and coals, and then they braid the straw. The braid is experimented with, until the seven- straw braid is accomplished (Collins). Women perform these tasks and take their braided straw to their boss. Their boss then pays them for their labor, making this the first time that these women are paid for their work.
During the Industrial Revolution, a new process for making hats is developed. The sewing machine is created, providing a reason for the work to be transferred from a system of division of labor to a complete factory system. A sewing machine could produce 100 hats in the same amount of time that it would take a women to make five hats by hand (Cotter). Now it was no longer “making” hats, but “manufacturing” them.
The first step in manufacturing hats in the factory starts in the Dye and Bleach Room, where the straw is dyed to the creator’s will. Then it’s off, in succession, to the Reeling Room, the Stitching Room, and the Blocking and Size Room, the Trimming Room, the Inspection Room, and the Packing and Shipping Rooms (Collins). All this takes place in the factory; therefore all employees are in one place, rather than workers creating their straw braids at home or another different place.
In 1801, Johnson Mason and George Ellis started a business manufacturing hats in a building near the corner of North and Dale Streets. The hat business grew, and another factory at the site of the present Montrose School became the second-largest straw hat factory in the United States. Later in the 19th century the factory owners built mansions nearby on North Street, though they were demolished in the second half of the 20th century. Employees, including many women and girls from Maine and Canada, typically board at people’s houses in town, and up to 1,000 employees work there. (DeSorgher, p. 253-255).
The straw hat industry provides financial help to families during the Industrial Revolution, because the agricultural economy is in decline. Families are able to survive while maintaining their typical lifestyle. There is an increased demand for women to have paying jobs, making it easy for manufacturers to hire employees without any outside laborers. Women were very dedicated to the manufacturing of straw hats, for it helped them make a living and provide for their family (Cotter).
The Industrial Revolution does not affect the women making hats, for they are treated fairly at the factory. Rather, it helps women who could not find farm work, as America is turning from agriculture into a manufacturing nation. The hat industry has an incredible impact on women and families, because women can now help out their family by working in the factory. Overall, the hat industry throughout the Industrial Revolution aids women and families.
Click here for a more detailed history by Richard DeSorgher published in the Hometown Weekly.
Work Cited
Primary Sources:
Bigelow, John. Branches of Industry in Massachusetts. Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, State Printers, 1838. Print.
Unknown. Straw Hat and Mold. n.d. Clay and Straw. Medfield Historical Society, Medfield.
Secondary Sources:
“Town History-Industry Takes Root”. Medfield Historical Society, 2016, 6 May 2016.
“Town of Medfield-History”, Town of Medfield, 2011. 6 May 2016
Desorgher, Richard. This Old Town, Remembering Medfield. West Conshohocken: Infinity Publishing, 2013. Print.
Cotter, Michael. Straw Hat Industry Thesis. Cambridge: Harvard University. Print.
Collins, Jo Ellen and O’Malley, Cheryl et al. Hats off to the Ladies. 2012. PowerPoint Presentation.