Used to be, we all needed brooms everyday, all around the house and yard. Now we use vacuums, leaf blowers and quick mops. In Paxton IL there was a broom factory that was quite high tech. There were quite a few employees, all using different machines in a specialized production line.
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The straw used for the brooms was special Broomcorn straw grown in Coles County. Alfred Carlson brought the straw into the factory on a handcart.
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The first step in the manufacturing process was the initial sorting of the straw by size. Only the woman closest to the camera was named in the paper -- Jean Ronna.
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After the initial sorting, the straw was sorted again by a machine. Walter Burgess operated the sorter and the man leaning on the wall was Cecil Fields, the supervisor.
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Harold Dahl was in charge of taking bundles of straw and dipping them in a vat of dye. It was thought that having all the straw the same color was a selling point.
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The broom stick and the straw came together in the "winding machine." Only the man closest to the camera was named in the paper -- Sylvan Jones. The broomsticks were made from maple trees.
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Donald Hiser used the seed scraper to clean any extra seeds off the brooms.
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Tom Cagle operated the "sewing" machine that presses the broom heads flat and bound the straws together with a strong cord.
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Howard Rhodes operated the clipping machine, which finished the broom making process by cutting the straws to a uniform length.
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The final touch was the France Broom Factory label, which was printed at the factory! Charles Rich added the labels.
The France Broom Factory was owned by H.P. France.