To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, I’m focused this year on telling the stories of the companies and institutions that played a key role in our manufacturing history.
Some are directly related, such as the story of Greenerd Press & Machine and its historic mill in Nashua, NH. Others weren’t manufacturers but played a pivotal role, such as the United States Postal Service.
To honor these stories, Rachel Cunliffe, our designer, made the wonderful graphic you see above. (FYI, the America 250 logo is trademarked. Just saying.)
I’m currently working on a story about a stonemason who cut these cobblestones (pictured) and laid them — when Lowell, MA was the center of America’s textile manufacturing in the mid- to late 1800s. I heard the story from a neighbor while walking Rocky. (My story antenna pinged instantly, ha!) Here is Rocky on location with me; he’s not sure what to make of the cobblestones. The street is still used daily by vehicles! I can only imagine the noise when it was horses and wagons driving over them.
I have several stories lined up, everything from Alan Shepherd and the Burroughs Corporation to a colonial printing press and the Union Pacific 4014 Big Boy steam engine, which is currently touring the U.S. I’m very excited!
If you want to be alerted to when I post a new story, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter. I publish once a month, so I’m easy on your in-box. Everything I write is original (and written by me, no AI!), and as you can see from my photo with Rocky (and my other stories already published), I do lots of hands-on research, too.
We have such an amazing history. Writing this blog brings me a great deal of joy and happiness. The more people tell me how much they enjoy reading what I write, the more encouraged I feel.
We really do live in an amazing country. All you need to do is get out and visit it.
Thank you!
A little quirky, 100% original, and fun.
It’s the Keep It Made USA newsletter. Once a month. Zero ads.
Links
Greenerd Press & Machine: The Story of a New England Manufacturer and its Historic Mill — a Keep It Made USA write up (fabulous story!)
The USPS: Our First Communications Network — a Keep It Made USA write up. For the research, I drove the Old Stagecoach Road that’s been designated a historic byway right where I live!
Celebrating 250 Years of American Manufacturing — the blog category where you can find the stories
Full Disclosure
I’m not paid nor asked to write about products or the companies that make them. All links in this piece are FREE — meaning, they’re not sponsored or paid for.
My mission is to keep manufacturing jobs stateside and this blog is my way of giving back. We like to think a “small” choice, such as purchasing something made in the US by American workers, won’t make a difference. It does.