Dianna Coscette

Carlisle 1876: The Dawn of Commercial Industrialization

Focus:

This paper will focus on industries and factories of Carlisle in 1876 and its growth into a commercial industry in 1886. I will look at the reasons for development, the differences in industry, and the economic and social changes commercial industrialization created.

Significance:

By comparing Carlisle 1876 with Carlisle 1886, it will provide a snapshot of the town; how it was functioning, the types of industry and development of the town. There is not much evidence describing the beginnings of the mature industry of Carlisle, neither the relation of industries to each nor the comparison of Carlisle 1876 with 1886. This paper will show an “in between” period in Carlisle, after =agriculture, but before full industrialization.

Methodology:

For this topic I plan to look at factories and industry of Carlisle in 1876 and compare it to factories and industry of Carlisle in 1886 to show the industrial progression and development of the town. To do this I must research the types of industries that existed, carriage, shoe, carpet, and agriculture, and their specific companies, Beetem Carpet Co., Carlisle Shoe Co., Gardner F. & Co., etc. I must also look at the social and economic changes, and the reasons for the start of industrialization. To support my explanation on the beginnings of the commercial industrialization, I will look at the types of industries that developed ten years later in 1886, carpet, shoe, machine implements, and their respective companies, Lindner Shoe Co., Frog and Switch, Carlisle Carpet Mills. I will also research the founders of each company and their roles in shaping the industry of Carlisle. This research will show the growth of industry and economy, which would establish Carlisle as a center of commercial production. I began by searching the Cumberland County Atlas of 1872 to see which and what types of companies there were. I searched the archives, library catalog, and databases: America: History and Life, Historical Newspapers and American Periodicals to find out more about the industries. I checked the Historical Society and found directories, atlas, biographies, photos, and in depth articles on the specific companies. I’ve looked at the History of Cumberland County and Adams County in 1886 and the Cumberland County Railroad Directory 1877-78. Secondary sources I used to find out more about each company were the History of Cumberland Valley, the Carlisle-Cumberland County Book of Centuries 1751-1951, and Biographical Annals of Cumberland County. To describe the economic and social changes of Pennsylvania I’ve looked at the databases America: History and Life, Economic Literature and Social Sciences Full Text, and found articles relating to these topics. This information will create a before and after picture of Carlisle, a phasing out of agriculture to the beginning of a commercial market.

Context:

From 1840’s-1920’s, industrialization and urbanization boomed in America. The establishment of the railroad, new roads and an influx of immigration allowed for the change in towns from agriculture to industry. It established a connection with small towns and large cities allowing for a larger commercial market, thereby creating specialization and the need for specific industries. Railroads also provided for the transportation of raw materials, allowing for the growth of industries and manufacturing. There emerged new processes, new social and economic developments, growth in manufacturing and the building up of small towns into centers of industry.

Bibliography:

Majewski, John. “Who Financed the Transportation Revolution?” Journal of Economic History, no. 56 (1996): 763.

Stevens, Sylvester K. “A Century of Industry in Pennsylvania” Pennsylvania History, no. 22 (January 1955): 49-68.

Bremer, Francis J. and Downey, Dennis B. A Guide to History of Pennsylvania. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993.

Parzynski, Catherine S. and Soderlund, Jean R. Backcountry Crucibles. Bethlehem, PA: Rosemont Publishing & Printing Corp, 2008.

Atlas of Cumberland County. New York: P.W. Beers & Co., 1872.

History of Cumberland County and Adams County, Pennsylvania. Chicago: Warner Beers & Co., 1886.

Wing, Conway P. History of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania 1731. Carlisle, PA: Herald Print Co., 1982

Carriere, Albert. Carlisle-Cumberland County Book of Centuries 1751-1951.

Crow, Suzy. “Carlisle, PA: The Sole of the Shoe Industry” 1980 C953c, Essay History, Archives and Special Collections, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA.

MC2001.1, Hays Family Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA. Cumberland County Railroad Directory 1877-1878.

Donehoo, George. The History of the Cumberland Valley. Harrisburg, PA: Susquehanna Historical Association, 1930.

McClymer. “The Study of Community and the “New” Social History.” Journal of Urban History, no. 7 (1980): 103.

Atack. “Capital Deepening and the Rise of the Factory: The American Experience During the Nineteenth Century.” The Economic History Review, no. 58 (2005): 586.

Stein. “Time, Space and Social Discipline: Factory Life in Cornwall, Ontario.” Journal of Historical Geography, no. 21 (1995): 278.

Cox, Harold. “The Overgrowth of Cities” Forum, Nov. 1922, p 928.

Biographical Annals of Cumberland County. Chicago: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905. Flower, Lenore and Milton. This is Carlisle. 1944.

Lewis, Robert D. and Walker, Richard. “Beyond the crabgrass frontier: industry and the spread of North American cities, 1850–1950.” Journal of Historical Geography, no. 27 (2001): 3–19.

Muller, Edward K. “Industrial suburbs and the growth of metropolitan Pittsburgh, 1870–1920.” Journal of Historical Geography, 27, 1 (2001) 58–73.

O'Leary, Paul M. “Repeal of the Greenback Conversion Clause.” American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Oct., 1963), pp. 507-512

James Kindahl, “Economic Factors in Specie Resumption the United States 1865-79” The Journal of Political Economy 69, no. 1 (Feb 1961), 45-46.

Friedman, Milton and Schwartz, Anna J. “A Monetary History of the United States (1867-1960)” FUTURECASTS online magazine Vol. 9, No. 5 (5/1/07) www.futurecasts.com.

Rendigs Fels, “The Long-Wave Depression 1873-79” The Review of Economics and Statistics, 31, no. 1 (Feb 1949), 70.

Timeline:

I feel I have a solid beginning for this topic and I hope to find more information about specific companies. After completing my research, I will make an outline to write a rough draft. After numerous revisions I will write a final draft. The final draft should be completed by the end of the semester.

Factories and Industries of Carlisle

Searching through the library catalog and America History and Life I’ve found substantial information about PA’s industrial growth occurring after 1850. The change in Penn’s economy from colonial to capitalist developed because of the manufacturing of iron, surplus of capital from Phil, and population growth. Residents wanting to industrialize enabled the change because of local investments and rise of corporations. Urbanization and population growth increased markets. Penn increased internal trade and grew in manufacturing, becoming the leading agriculture producer. Therefore a need for a direct connection to Phil, NY and New England. This led to the construction of turnpikes, river improvements, canals and railroads to directly connect farm families and small towns with merchants and manufacturing cities. Also new revolutions in iron making and the patent of Bessemer’s steel process making Penn the first to have steel railroads in 1867, with steel coming from Harrisburg’s steel plant.

This website was helpful in finding more specific topics (economy, politics, and society) about Penn’s history:

http://dpubs.libraries.psu.edu/DPubS?service=UI&version=1.0&verb=Display&page=home&handle=psu.ph