Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-02
SHEEP WASH RUN.
Tributary of Brandywine That Played al
Important Part in Industrial History.

Tributary of Brandywine That Played an
Important Part in Industrial History.
BY Amos c. Brinton. -
The fact that some Philadelphia
parties have purchased about 100 acres
of land on the west branch of Naaman's
Creek. Brandywine hundred, and pro-
pose to establish an industrial art
school, suggests that it might be inter
esting to recall the estaE lishment of an
art school on branch of the Brandy
wine, nearly seven miles north OF Will
mington, about ZIG years ago., Among
tho early settlers, who came FROM Eng
land and Ireland, were some Quaker
famiiies, including Valentine Hollings-
worth and his SONS, Thomas and Henry,
George Harlan, Michael Harlan, Adam
Kirk, Roger Kirk and Adam Sharpley.
So great was the POWER of the Brandy
wins that the early settlers thought it
safer to build their small mills on the
tributaries Of the stream out of the way
of floods. On the Hollingsworth home
stead place of some 400 acres in Chris
| tiana hundred,a a small water power was
nut TO use on stream not far from the
| Brandywine, grain was ground there
| and rude turning lathe was started.
| 1t is hardly likely that the Hollings-
worths and their neighbors brought any
| implements from the mother country
for use in preparing flax for Spinning,
| but il is rather probable that their in
ventive genius produced the tools for
| their needs.
That peighborhood became the centre
of invention and the little stream has
| the credit of being the place where
.lorean's spinning wheels, both large
and small, were first made. Here also
were constructed the flax brake and
hackel, or comb, and scutching knife
of hickory, to prepare the flax from the
rine plant to tho finished article, and
TOW Tor the distaff or tow rack of the
spinning wheel to be spun into thread
or yarn for warp and woof. Here also
were made the fail, to thresh wheat and
rye, aud the sieve of coarse thread or
strong strings of bark to separate the
grain from the chaf. A finer sieve was
made of coarse horsehair or fine flax
thread TO separate the ground meal OF
-four from the coarse bran.
Not only was the millhouse useful for
a machine shop, but the water in the
race and dam gave the farmers place
to wash their sheep and from the fact
that every spring sheep from all thai
neighborhood were brought there anc
washed the stream took the name Of
, Sheep Wash Run. 1t was found advisa
, bio to wash and comb the wool on tht
, sheep's back. as it kept the fibreI
straight. The sheep were led into thu
, stream and held with their heads abov,
, water while man and q boy washet
and oombed each animal. After tn,
+ bath the sheen were. allowed to G,
ashore and dry off, later being, taSei
home to clean yard where the drying
, was completed. A day or two later th
/ sheep were sheard and the fleece wa
{ handled carefully to prevent tanglinl
the filras. Then the wool was hant
= carded and made into rolls. The mex
operation was to make it into yarn o
the spinning wheel.
9 The women devoted long hours t
o spinning. At the smaller wheel the
4 could sit down and work the whee
q with treade and use both hands i
a drawing out the fax from the distaff Q
the wool from the ROLAND feeding it t
Q the revolving spindle which the var
passed through and thence over th
' flyN heel to the spool on the spindle.
The large spinning wheel had whet
about four feet in diameter and th
opef ator stood up to work. Sho woul
give the wheel a good start with he
# hand or brooch pin held in her han
and then would begin feeding out tf
=, thread from the roll of wool, each ro
"a possibly 80 inches long. The srinstt
"a would place a number of the rolls acro'
# her breast so that when one was spu
! up another was in quick reach to /
"a spliced. In spinning flax a small di
- taft was fastened to the dress. Fro
n l,5OO to 1000 yards day was goo
" record for an able spinster.
# Only faint indentation now appeea
,t where Sheep Wash Run mill stood bt
!. it played an important part in indu
ar trial matters. The weaving of plaids I
"A different colorPd fabrics may be trace
Il to connections of the Hollingsworth
and there is sample still in the fa,ni
of vari-colored coverlet.
1t was found that the wool workt
better by being creased and banded
of a warm room, and in this operate
i. the material was likely to become dirt
N This brought into use the fullIng mil
All which comprised wooden hammers hui
+. from post and raised and lowered
~ ~ a tox, pounding and rolling the clio
"a over and over. SOAP and white clay,
a. fuller's earth, were used in the waite
a After. being cleansed, the cloth W
in stretched and dried and then it
!, ready to be made into clothing. ~
q. a. fulling mill was on Rockland run. {
that run cotton spinning plant W
=. established about 1880, said to ha
NO been the first of its kind in the countr
- AT the millhouse on Sheep Wa
Run, were made round top tea tabl
with diameter of about three fee
lie the centre post resting on balls al
dc claws. The top of the table would
t., yolve and tilt. Candle stands with
he diameter of IA inches or less were sin
IS, lar in design. Both were made
cl walnut. Then they had wooden bre
;es bowls of various sizes, some 70 inch
n. in diameter and largo enough to he
ne half a bushel. Wooden dishes
as trenches, and the various parts of t
nm )organ spinning wheels and other u:
ut full household articles were made
lly water power or by hand at tLeEold mi
nd The Hollingsworths and their neia
dis bors were happy and eontented peol
re and to them belongs the credit for t
he early development of important indl
ed tries in Delaware.