Philadelphia Area Archives Research Portal (PAARP)

Dearnley Brothers Worsted and Spinning Company was owned by John H. Dearnley, the son of a British wool merchant, and produced worsted and woolen yarns during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company was eventually passed on to Dearnley?s son, Charles E. Dearnley, who created the Dearnley Top Company, Incorporated in 1946. This collection contains the companies? business records and personal papers of Charles E. Dearnley. This collection dates from 1908 to 1963, and consists of ledgers, appraisal documents, financial records, and photographs detailing the companies? creations and dissolutions, production, and legal affairs. (View full finding aid.)

Fred Fortess was an authority on the use of fabrics in clothing and a long-time professor at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (now Philadelphia University). He worked at the Celanese Fibers Marketing Company for 31 years before joining the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science in 1973 as Director of Apparel Research and head of its School of Textiles. He served as President of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) as well as on numerous other committees. He received the Medal of Honor of the Southern Burn Institute for contributions to fire safety and the Harold DeWitt Smith Award of the American Society of Testing and Materials. Fortess died in Philadelphia in 1991. The Fred Fortess papers house the administrative and research materials of Fred Fortess, and dates from 1940 to 1999, with the bulk of the collection dating from the 1970s and 1980s. It consists of a variety of research materials relating to the manufacture, care, and evaluation of fibers and fabrics, as well as administrative and educational records from Fortess? appointment at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science. This collection is unique in showcasing both the career and scientific contributions of Fred Fortess as well as the evolution of the textile industry and the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science over the course of several decades. (View full finding aid.)

The Hugh Nelson, Incorporated (Columbia Carpet Mills) company was one of the oldest surviving carpet manufacturers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hugh Nelson owned the company until his son-in-law, Edward M. Schmauder became owner and president. Schmauder ran the company for 28 years before selling it in 1978. The carpet mill finally closed in 1983. The Hugh Nelson, Incorporated (Columbia Carpet Mills) records date from 1931 to 1957, with bulk dates from 1941 to 1957. This collection is mostly made up of correspondence between Hugh Nelson, Incorporated and vendors with which it did most of its business, especially from 1955 to 1957. (View full finding aid.)

Joseph R. Foster and Sons was a Philadelphia dyeing and finishing yarn company, specializing in worsted and wool yarns. The Joseph R. Foster and Sons records houses four ledger books detailing 16 years of the company?s business records between 1930 and 1946. (View full finding aid.)

At the 1876 Centennial Exposition, local textile manufacturers noticed that Philadelphia's textile industry was falling behind its rivals' capacity, technology, and ability. In 1880, they formed the Philadelphia Association of Manufacturers of Textile Fabrics, with Theodore C. Search as its president, to fight for higher tariffs on imported textiles and to educate local textile leaders. In early 1884, Search taught the first classes of the Philadelphia Textile School to five students at 1336 Spring Garden Street. The school was officially opened on November 5, 1884. The Philadelphia University early institutional records house the papers of Philadelphia University from its inception and through its early years. The collection dates from 1893 to 1967, with bulk dates of 1916 to 1941. (View full finding aid.)

Henry Whitaker had founded the firm of Whitaker and Sons in Rochdale, England, in 1796. He visited the United States in 1807 and returned in 1809 to relocate the business to Hudson, N.Y. In 1813 he again relocated to Philadelphia, where he established the Cedar Grove Mills on Tacony Creek. The William Whitaker and Sons, Incorporated records house a small portion of the records of the company. The collection dates from 1921-1977, with bulk dates of 1930 to 1964. This collection consists mostly of financial reports, graphs, and a map of the Cedar Grove Mills. (View full finding aid.)