Few people know this but the second owner of Hope Lodge, William West, emigrated from County Sligo Ireland around 1750. County Sligo, located in the west of Ireland, is a region known for the production of flax used to make linen. William’s father, also William was primarily a flax farmer and estate middleman or manager for the larger estates, overseeing other tenants while farming his own allotted land. He raised his son with the skills of the merchant trade, which allowed him to immediately enter the mercantile class upon arriving in Philadelphia.
Flax was an important crop in colonial America. It was cultivated for making durable, everyday textiles before the dominance of cotton in the 19th century. Flax was grown in many colonies, including Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, as a fundamental household crop. This event shows how flax was planted, harvested, and processed into stricks for spinning fiber into linen and weaving it into linen cloth. There will be samples of spun and woven linen used in the presentation
Admission: Free Event in honor of America’s 250th!