First 50 Years of the Scranton Lace Company
Item
Dublin Core
Title
First 50 Years of the Scranton Lace Company
Description
This 48-page document gives an overview of the history of lace generally and the specific achievements of the Scranton Lace Company in its first 50 years in operation. This document represents a time before the fall of the lace industry in Scranton. It is noteworthy because it subtly hints towards the social acceptance of child labor in this century, as seen in an image on page 14. The document mostly focuses on the three generations of management but also highlights employees and products.
Lacemaking is a tradition rooted in craftsmanship that has existed for over 2,000 years, dating back to thread embroidery corselets used by the Egyptians in 550 B.C.E. Thread embroidery morphed into the production and design of lace. The lace produced by the Scranton Lace Factory relied on the methods employed by 15th century practitioners, namely cutwork, drawnwork, and darned nettings. Lacework was at times prohibited to be sold to common people and was only available to elites and aristocrats. Women became the main laborers of intricate lace, and nuns were responsible for many of the lasting lace artifacts.
Once clear glass became conventionally installed in windows in the end of the 18th century, lace curtain demand grew. To fill orders, expansion of producing lace by machine became necessary. One of the first documented attempts at mechanically produced lace was between 1760 and 1778. Once the jacquard (a type of cloth with a pattern woven into it) was able to be added to the loom, the product known as Nottingham Lace emerged. Nottingham lace, originating in Nottingham, England, soon became popular in the United States. The lace was imported, but eventually the demand grew and labor in Nottingham was unable to meet the orders needed to be filled. A request for a new company in the United States was proposed and accepted. Plans began for a company to be placed in Scranton, PA due to the abundance of cheap energy in coal and its strong labor force.
The initial name of this company was Scranton Lace Curtain Manufacturing Company; it was financially unsuccessful. But local businessmen bound together to reinvest and redevelop this industry in the hopes of its future success. A charter under the name Scranton Lace Curtain Company was born. By 1905, plant expansion was necessary due to the volume of sales. In 1907, the Company left the commission house it sold under and managed sales themselves. In 1914, the Company began selling to department stores directly in addition to the main market of bulk sales to distributors. In 1916, the sales name and company name merged to the Scranton Lace Company. In 1927 the Clock Tower was erected, and in the same year the 34 School was purchased by the Company, as the residential population was decreasing as industry boomed.
The Company remained profitable during the Great Depression. In 1937, the President launched an operation to increase volume of production to lower operation costs. 8 new looms were erected, which was expected to result in a 15% increase in production, with subsequent additions planned in several years. New weaving and receiving buildings were erected on Glenn Street. The Company stopped its sales of bedspreads and sold the machinery to make room for more lace manufacturing. During World War Two (WW2), the machinery was modified to serve military needs. First, the Company began producing mosquito netting. Then, the Company shifted to human parachutes, mine carriers, and finally reconditioned steel ammunition boxes. Post WW2, what was once parachute manufacturing became window curtains.
One instance of interesting word choice in the document is referring to the executive management group as the “executive family”. The “executive family” managed their 1,100 employees. The Company did have many long lasting employees, as this publication boasted that 421 staff members had been employed at the Company for over 10 years. The Company claimed to have “maintained a cordial relationship with employees… by [high] wage rates… paid vacation, group insurance, and annual profit sharing”(Our First Fifty Years…) In addition to the financial incentives, the Company highlighted working conditions, stating, “lighting, heating, cleanliness, restrooms, showers have constant attention…employee club house [contains] a gymnasium, cafeteria, bowling alley… and music room” (Our First Fifty Years…). There was an effort to keep engagement in sports high in the workplace, as employee committees were established to maintain these traditions.
People bought Scranton Lace because owning the material represented a class distinction, as the history of lace was one where it was kept to the elite class. It represented values of American success in industry and labor, as its public image of successful sports teams and employee retention built it into a positive landmark of Scranton. The Company capitalized on community, evident as early as 1927 when they added the Clocktower that would become a preserved monument even as the site leaves its industrial and returns to becoming a residential area once again.
Lacemaking is a tradition rooted in craftsmanship that has existed for over 2,000 years, dating back to thread embroidery corselets used by the Egyptians in 550 B.C.E. Thread embroidery morphed into the production and design of lace. The lace produced by the Scranton Lace Factory relied on the methods employed by 15th century practitioners, namely cutwork, drawnwork, and darned nettings. Lacework was at times prohibited to be sold to common people and was only available to elites and aristocrats. Women became the main laborers of intricate lace, and nuns were responsible for many of the lasting lace artifacts.
Once clear glass became conventionally installed in windows in the end of the 18th century, lace curtain demand grew. To fill orders, expansion of producing lace by machine became necessary. One of the first documented attempts at mechanically produced lace was between 1760 and 1778. Once the jacquard (a type of cloth with a pattern woven into it) was able to be added to the loom, the product known as Nottingham Lace emerged. Nottingham lace, originating in Nottingham, England, soon became popular in the United States. The lace was imported, but eventually the demand grew and labor in Nottingham was unable to meet the orders needed to be filled. A request for a new company in the United States was proposed and accepted. Plans began for a company to be placed in Scranton, PA due to the abundance of cheap energy in coal and its strong labor force.
The initial name of this company was Scranton Lace Curtain Manufacturing Company; it was financially unsuccessful. But local businessmen bound together to reinvest and redevelop this industry in the hopes of its future success. A charter under the name Scranton Lace Curtain Company was born. By 1905, plant expansion was necessary due to the volume of sales. In 1907, the Company left the commission house it sold under and managed sales themselves. In 1914, the Company began selling to department stores directly in addition to the main market of bulk sales to distributors. In 1916, the sales name and company name merged to the Scranton Lace Company. In 1927 the Clock Tower was erected, and in the same year the 34 School was purchased by the Company, as the residential population was decreasing as industry boomed.
The Company remained profitable during the Great Depression. In 1937, the President launched an operation to increase volume of production to lower operation costs. 8 new looms were erected, which was expected to result in a 15% increase in production, with subsequent additions planned in several years. New weaving and receiving buildings were erected on Glenn Street. The Company stopped its sales of bedspreads and sold the machinery to make room for more lace manufacturing. During World War Two (WW2), the machinery was modified to serve military needs. First, the Company began producing mosquito netting. Then, the Company shifted to human parachutes, mine carriers, and finally reconditioned steel ammunition boxes. Post WW2, what was once parachute manufacturing became window curtains.
One instance of interesting word choice in the document is referring to the executive management group as the “executive family”. The “executive family” managed their 1,100 employees. The Company did have many long lasting employees, as this publication boasted that 421 staff members had been employed at the Company for over 10 years. The Company claimed to have “maintained a cordial relationship with employees… by [high] wage rates… paid vacation, group insurance, and annual profit sharing”(Our First Fifty Years…) In addition to the financial incentives, the Company highlighted working conditions, stating, “lighting, heating, cleanliness, restrooms, showers have constant attention…employee club house [contains] a gymnasium, cafeteria, bowling alley… and music room” (Our First Fifty Years…). There was an effort to keep engagement in sports high in the workplace, as employee committees were established to maintain these traditions.
People bought Scranton Lace because owning the material represented a class distinction, as the history of lace was one where it was kept to the elite class. It represented values of American success in industry and labor, as its public image of successful sports teams and employee retention built it into a positive landmark of Scranton. The Company capitalized on community, evident as early as 1927 when they added the Clocktower that would become a preserved monument even as the site leaves its industrial and returns to becoming a residential area once again.
Creator
Daniel Leonard
Source
https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uga1.32108008628334
Our First Fifty Years: A Story of the Scranton Lace Company. The Scranton Lace Company, 1947.
Publisher
The Scranton Lace Company
Date
1947
Contributor
Daniel Leonard
Collection
Citation
Daniel Leonard, “First 50 Years of the Scranton Lace Company,” Documenting the Scranton Lace Company, accessed July 13, 2025, https://scrantonlacecompany.omeka.net/items/show/38.