| | Abstract: | The Cleveland Worsted Mills Company was founded as the Turner Worsted Mill in 1878 by Joseph Turner, and, after a period of restructuring beginning in 1893 led by Kaufman Hays, became the Cleveland Worsted Mills in 1902. The mill was able to handle all steps of the production of various types of woolen cloth. Besides its Cleveland, Ohio, facility, the company also operated eleven other plants in Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Rhode Island. Many Czech, Polish, and Lithuanian immigrants were employed by Cleveland Worsted Mills. During the Depression, employees became dissatisfied with working conditions and organized as part of the United Textile Workers. Two strikes in the 1930s were unsuccessful. The company was forcibly closed by the federal government during World War II for refusal to produce cloth for uniforms. It opened again only after agreeing to the government's terms. Following another strike in 1955, company president Louis O. Poss closed the company for good. The empty building was destroyed by fire in 1993. The collection consists of appraisal inventories, blueprints, and a pamphlet. | |
