BUCKLAND — The spinning and weaving of cotton cloth gets all the attention in the history of the Industrial Revolution. But running parallel to cotton mills were small woolen mills, especially in Massachusetts.
These early mills produced “satinet,” a cloth with a cotton warp and a woolen weft. This was cheaper and easier to produce than all-wool cloth, and it often used local wool.
On Friday, June 1, The Buckland Historical Society will present a program on “The Satinet Mills,” featuring talks by Peggy Hart of Buckland and Joanne Semanie of Rowe. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Buckland Public Hall, Upper Street.
After their talks, the Historical Society’s annual Pie Social begins. Admission is $6, or $3 for students age 12 and under.
Local Weaver Peggy Hart is the author of “Wool: Unraveling an American Story of Artists and Innovation,” and she is the owner of Bedfellow Blankets in Buckland. Hart will talk about the history of satinet.
Joanne Semanie of the Rowe Historical Society will share her research into the Franklin Manufacturing Company.
In 1845, according to Buckland’s Historical Society, the town was home to 2,524 sheep — listed as “common sheep” (as opposed to 4,340 merino in Colrain).
In 1850, there were satinet mills in Shelburne, Rowe, Greenfield, Cummington and Northampton. Other mills were located further west, in Williamstown, Pittsfield and North Adams.