Chris wrote the following to me yesterday:
I have in my possession an old bright red blanket with the label Clyde Reg’d Clyde Woolen Mills. Do you have any info about this blanket? I can’t find any other information on the internet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Photo of a Clyde Reg’d Clyde Woollen Mills Blanket I found on the web
Until the late 1990s, the major employer of the village of Lanark was the Glenayr Kitten Mill, which produced clothing and offered their products at several factory outlet stores. This old woollen mill property was first developed by the Clyde Woollen mills in the 1850’s and a fire destroyed much of Clyde Woollen Mills in 1913. The textile industry lasted for about 170 years, but was finally defeated by the flood of cheap Asian textiles into North America.
Several of the old Kitten Mill buildings are still known by their numbers (e.g. Kitten Factory #1) to local residents. The Clyde Woollen Mills was the founder of these properties and the mill was the backbone of Lanark, and some still called the old Kitten mill the Clyde Woollen Mill.
Photo of a Clyde Reg’d Clyde Woollen Mills Blanket I found on the web
Peter Scott was superintendent of the Clyde Woollen Mills years ago and in Fibre & Fabric: A Record of American Textile Industries in Volume 20 it was recorded that he went back to Scotland where he was making a study of a woollen factory to bring information back to the village of Lanark.
It should also be noted that when Boyd Caldwell died in 1888, his mills, then run by his sons, sawed millions of board feet annually and his descendants included the owner of the Clyde Woollen Mill in Lanark village.
Anyways Chris, your blanket is definitely an heirloom, and I found a blanket similar to yours that sold on EBay in 2007. No selling price is mentioned.
– Country Cottage on Hillier Street used to be the steam plant for the Clyde Woollen Mill
Related Reading:
Down by the Old Kitten Mill
A Postcard to Caldwell’s Mills
Sandy Caldwell King of the River Boys
Ya call that a Snowstorm? Linda’s Mailbag
Debbie Dixon and The CPR Bridge Incident in Carleton Place–Linda’s Mailbag
Linda’s Mailbag- Blasts from the Past
Come and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read.
Information where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in Hometown News
