Silk production was the first industry to employ Pennsylvania’s women. Between 1913 and 1930, Eastern Pennsylvania was the world’s leader in silk goods production, and the vast majority of the workers were young women. Some kept working in the mills until the industry disappeared in the late 20th century.
Martha Capwell Fox is the archivist and historian for the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Her book, Geography, Geology, and Genius: How Coal and Canals Ignited the American Industrial Revolution, is the first to tell the story of how a small slice of eastern Pennsylvania became the cradle of industry that supplied many of the world’s core materials, including anthracite and slate. The rise of the silk industry in Pennsylvania was a direct result of these materials, relying on the myriad of waterways, natural resources, and labor (often young immigrant women and girls) to meet an ever-increasing demand.
This program is in partnership with the National Canal Museum in celebration of their upcoming exhibit, Beyond Rosie and Rivets: Industrial Women in the D&L Corridor, opening in April 2022.
Masks are required in the Sigal Museum at all times. Seating will be arranged to accommodate social distancing.