The silk industry was very prominent in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, particularly in Sunbury, Shamokin and Trevorton. A brief, illustrated history of the industry in Pennsylvania was given as part of “Pennsylvania Profiles,” a weekly series produced for the Sunbury Daily Item, with the above number published on January 16, 1988.
Panel 1 – The silk industry wormed its way into Pennsylvania in 1826 when nurserymen around Philadelphia sold morus multicaulis mulberry trees for breeding silkworms on their leaves.
Panel 2 – Shrewd promoters predicted profits of over 100 percent annually for raw silk. Hundreds of people from all walks of life paid up to five dollars per tree, although it cost only a few pennies to produce a mulberry tree.
Panel 3 – At Newtown and Doylestown, buildings were erected to raise silkworms. By 1830 the Pennsylvania Silk Society was in operation.
Panel 4 – Two years later, Governor Wolf convinced the state legislature to subsidize silk culture in the state.
Panel 5 – In 1840, the state authorized silk manufacturers to establish schools to teach silk culture.
Panel 6 – Unfortunately, the multicaulis trees could not withstand the winters of southeastern Pennsylvania. As the trees died by the thousands, so did the state’s silk business.
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An explanation of the series “Pennsylvania Profiles” appeared in the Sunbury Daily Item, May 10 1985:
For the stories behind… forgotten but fascinating facts, you’ll want to read “Pennsylvania Profiles,” a weekly feature with vivid illustrations… in this newspaper…. Pennsylvania Profiles delves into the nooks and crannies of the Keystone State’s hectic heritage. [It] is researched, written and illustrated by Patrick M. Reynolds of Willow Street, a town in southern Lancaster County. He is a graduate of Pratt institute, Brooklyn, New York, and Syracuse University, New York. His features are available in books. Reynolds is a Vietnam War veteran and an Army reserve Infantry officer.
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Obtained through Newspapers.com.
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