Author Description

Book One covers Thompsonville, Connecticut, from 1763 to 1900. As import tariffs are placed on foreign carpeting, Orrin Thompson searches for a suitable location to build a manufacturing facility, purchasing property at Lovejoy's Ferry. Skilled immigrants arrive from Scotland, erecting production facilities, dams, and tenements. The village is renamed Thompsonville and welcomes Irish and English émigrés, further expanding the hamlet. The challenges of educating families, addressing alcoholism, dealing with sanitation issues among a tightly packed workforce, and establishing support services keep administrators busy, all while the company strives to fulfill carpet orders. Inventor Erastus Bigelow offers his power loom technology to Thompson in 1840, who miscalculates and passes on the innovation, a decision that will eventually lead to the company's demise. Orrin's son, Henry, establishes the Stockinette mill in Thompsonville, manufacturing undergarments, adding another vital business to the expanding village. The carpet manufactories of Thompsonville and Tariffville close in 1851, with Thompson declaring bankruptcy. Three years later, the mills reopen as the Hartford Carpet Company. The village surges forward as electrification, sewers, and water lines are installed throughout Thompsonville. Rail lines are expanded, enhancing transportation at the expense of lives lost as trains strike down villagers with regularity. Innovation continues as bicycle, bottle, and glass coffin manufacturing descend upon the village, all while early innovators and businessmen pass away, including Orrin Thompson. In the 1880s, Mother Nature unleashes a tornado, a killing frost, and a late-spring nor'easter on the village, all of which lead to the death of Robert McCrone, a popular resident and business owner. Cornet bands increase in popularity as Nathan Palmer sets up shop to capture images of people and places on photographic plates. The Stockinette Factory goes up in flames while Lava