Union Straw Works / Birth of the Straw Hat Industry

Union Straw Works / Birth of the Straw Hat Industry (HM11TQ)

Location: Foxborough, MA 02035 Norfolk County
Buy Massachusetts State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 42° 3.811', W 71° 14.851'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 2664 views
Inscription
Union Straw Works

Members of the Carpenter family became engaged in various straw manufacturing operations. In 1843 they built the Great Bonnet Shop at 18-22 Wall Street and in 1845 the Hamlet House at 12-16 Wall St. Erastus P. Carpenter then proposed that many small manufacturing operations in town should be combined into one large company that could dominate the industry. In 1853 the Union Straw Works was erected on this site. It became the world's largest straw manufacturing operation offering employment to more than 6,000 men and women, including factory workers and those employed in a vast cottage industry, sewing and braiding straw at home. Ownership later passed to Wm. T. Cook & Co. and the Bemis Hat Co. The complex was destroyed by fire May 28,1900 and never rebuilt.

Birth of the Straw Hat Industry

The making of the first straw bonnet in America is traced to Betsey Metcalf of Providence, R.I. who in 1798 made herself a copy of an imported bonnet on display in a store window. while attending Day's Academy in Wrentham, Betsey shared her skills with her friends, including many from Foxborough. Mary Clark and Ann Leonard were the first in this town to learn braiding and in turn taught Eunice Everett, Sally Mann, Patty Carpenter and her cousin Polly. Eunice was the first person in Foxborough to make a straw bonnet. The success of the young ladies in making products of straw prompted many entrepreneurs to commence manufacturing and an industry was born, bringing unprecedented prosperity and a community identity as the straw hat capital of the world.
Details
HM NumberHM11TQ
Tags
Year Placed2003
Placed ByFoxborough Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, September 14th, 2014 at 8:39am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)19T E 314046 N 4659272
Decimal Degrees42.06351667, -71.24751667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 3.811', W 71° 14.851'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 3' 48.66" N, 71° 14' 51.06" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)508, 781, 774
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1-29 Wall St, Foxborough MA 02035, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?