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From the colonial period through the early 20th century, one of the major products of Jamestown’s pastoral economy was sheep’s wool. In 1865, for example, Jamestown with a population of less than 400, produced 7,210 pounds of wool – about 6.25 percent of the total production of the state. The importance of sheep to Conanicut Island is commemorated in Jamestown’s official symbol, which features a sheep in the center.
The JHS collection has three of the tools used to process the wool: carding brushes, a spinning wheel, and a loom.
Carding brushes are used to clean the wool sheared from the sheep and form it into strands that can be spun into thread. The brushes have numerous wire teeth that are used to separate the woolen fibers and to spread them into a web. Carding removes any short or broken fibers as well as dirt and other impurities. The web is condensed into a continuous untwisted strand called a sliver. The slivers are used to produce woolen threads.
The carded wool is spun into thread using a spinning wheel. The spinning wheel in the JHS collection is an early design called a walking wheel. The defining feature of a walking wheel is a large, single drive wheel that is turned by hand. The spinner stands beside the wheel and walks back and forth to turn the wheel, simultaneously drawing out and spinning the fibers. Most handspinners spin from a fluffy mass of aligned fibers to more easily produce a consistent yarn.
The next step is to weave the spun woolen thread into cloth. Looms come in many sizes. The JHS loom is very large – approximately 4.5 feet high, 6.5 feet wide, and 5 feet deep. It is called a barn loom.
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