As soon as I opened the email from my husband (see picture to left), I knew a road trip to central Pennsylvania was in my future.
Factory tours are de rigueur on our family vacations. I’ve been to an aluminum smelter, a silk tie factory, a newspaper printing operation, an airplane factory, a ski-doo factory, a cheese factory and a toothpaste factory. If we ever make it to Japan, we’ll probably go to the Toto toilet factory, the Ramen noodle factory and the Toyota factory.
We are members of the Society of Industrial Archeology which often arranges small group tours to industrial sites.
2014 Woolrich Woolen Mill Tour Dates
Woolrich Woolen Mill in Woolrich, Pennsylvania has been in operation since 1830. It is the oldest continuously operating mill in the United States.
Several times a year, Woolrich offers tours of the mill to members of the public. The tour shows how wool is spun into yarn and woven into fabric and blankets.
The 2014 factory tour dates are:
- Saturday, June 21, 2014
- Saturday, August 16
- Saturday, September 13
- Saturday, October 18, 2014
There will be four tours offered on each date, at 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, and 2:00 p.m.
You must register early, and in advance, by calling 570-769-7401.
On the day of the tour, you’ll receive a $10 gift card to use at the Woolrich Outlet Store. The best values are found in the Back Room, where Woolrich fabric is sold by the bolt, yard or pound.
Photographer Christoper Paine has chronicled a few of the remaining textile mills (as well as some of the closed mills) in a photo essay for the New York Times, entitled “Fruits of the Loom.”
Here are links to a video and blog post about the Woolrich Mill Tour.
My husband loves these tours too!
Oh, no!? My in-laws went to the Pendleton Woolen Mills when they visited Oregon.