Spiral Screwdrivers of Decatur, Illinois
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. 49, no. 1, March 1996 By Clifford D. Fales The availability of better wood screws and the rise of the factory system in the last quarter of the nineteenth...
Early American Industries Association Blog
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Explosion-Proof Phone
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. 64, No. 3, September 2011 by Patty MacLeish This telephone, which weighs 44 pounds, was “picked up” by Jim Sellers last December (Figure 1). There is a Bureau of...
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Corn Husking Pegs
The following is excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. 59 no. 3, September 2006 by Suzanne Fellman Jacob It’s cold; the wind drives down the back of your neck. Your hands are ungloved in order...
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The Hawley Collection — The First Ten Years
Excerpted from The Chronicle, Vol. 59 no. 4, December 2006 by Joan Unwin Ken Hawley has been collecting tools and related material for more than fifty years, and, in 1998 with help from the...
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Political Campaign Lighting
Excerpted from The Chronicle, Vol. XVII no. 3, September 1964 The tin lamps and torches often used for Political Campaigns, were mainly used for religious, industrial and theatrical purposes. The name “torch” is applied...
Chardoillet’s Planes
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. 63 no. 1, March 2010 by John G. Wells My first encounter with a French metallic plane by Chardoillet occurred in 1983. My wife Janet and I had been...
Wood Screws as an Aid to Dating Wooden Artifacts
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. 31 no. 1, March 1978 by Warren E. Roberts A close examination of any wood screws used is of great importance in attempting to discover the date at which...
Return of the Craftsman
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. 27 no. 1, April 1974 by Doris S. Halsey Before the advent of the assembly line, when time was of lesser importance and fine workmanship was expected and appreciated,...
The Slaughtering Roll
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. XIX No. 2, June 1966 Editor’s note: Do not read this article if you’re squeamish. by Mary Earle Gould Villages of the early years commonly had a tannery, a...
The Papermaker’s Hand Mould
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. IV no. 4, October 1951 By Harrison Elliott A somewhat simple and ingenious contrivance is the paper mould used in forming each sheet separately by the hand process for...
Coffee Grinding Mills
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. XII No. 4, December 1959 By Laurence A. Johnson “Though thou shouldest bray ( beat small) a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will his...
Justus Roe & Sons: Makers of Steel Tape Measures since 1876
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. 57 no. 4, December 2004 by Louise Muse In 1876, Justus Roe of Patchogue, New York, decided to go into the business of manufacturing steel tape measures. The company...
Bone-Shakers
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. X111 no. 4. December, 1960 by Laurence A. Johnson The speed and enthusiasm with which the American public in the late 1860’s took up the use of the self...
J. E. Minott, Edge-Tool Maker & Iron Forger
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol. 57 no. 1, September 2004 by Roger K. Smith Jonathan Eastman Minott’s career encompassed most of the nineteenth century, but although the first part of his career was spent...
Socks and Stockings, Shirts, Drawers, and Sashes
Excerpted from The Chronicle Vol., 53 no. 4, December 2000 by Richard M. Candee Hand and Machine Knitting for the Union Army This paper explores the Civil War’s impact onthe making of knit‑goods, especially...