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sourced raw materials such as wool turned rug making into an industrial- ings sparked industrial growth that attracted
ized American industry, meeting the rising middle-class demand for some 40 other manufacturers into the
decorative floor coverings. business. With materials changing from
domestic sources to international ones, the
Thorndike Mills company took a hit, but was able to survive
“The only true manufacturer of cloth braided rugs, just like your grand- and thrive. “What’s brought this all about is
mother used to make.” – Thorndike Mills we are known for making fabric braids. No
Gabriel M. “Gary” Garabedian learned to make rugs in Armenia. one else in the country makes that product. It
Back in the old country, Gary worked for his brother-in-law in a factory replicates a true braided rug,” said Garabedian. Empty Thorndike Mills’
on the handloom, did the dying, and learned the textile trade. At the Thorndike Mills remained the second well-used wooden boxes
age of 15, he escaped what become known as the first Genocide of the oldest mill and largest manufacturer of cloth on closing day, 2020
20th century. Loosing most his family, having only a little money, he braided rugs in the U.S. until 2019 when the
journeyed as a refugee for over three years and eventually made his way company announced that after 94 years, it was closing shop.
to America, by way of Ellis Island, in 1921. Garabedian cites the economy, online shopping, and problems with
Gary migrated to the outside of Boston looking to do what he knew sourcing the materials they want to use domestically.
best. He started his own weaving business in 1925, making “rag rugs”
in a rented Boston basement for local distribution. The Value of Braided Rugs
Riding the appeal of braided rugs and using his skills for working Because they were made to be used, most often in the parlor near a
with textiles, Garabedian moved his family to Western Massachusetts fireplace or entry area, few pre-20th century braided rugs survive; their
following the Great Depression and formally established his company makers mostly unknown unless the rug has been handed down through
in Palmer, Massachusetts. There, he began making Rag Rugs on hand- generations of family.
looms and his business began to Twentieth century braided rugs are more readily available and can
take hold. be found today at online auction sites, antique shops, and estate sales,
Once G.M. Garabedian in a range of prices commensurate with the condition, age (early- vs.
Company got the attention of late-century), size, design, the form of manufacture, provenance, and
National Department Stores, materials. Some characteristics to consider are the tightness of the braid
Gary converted the business to (the tighter the braid the longer it will last) and look for evidence of
power looms. With the expanded heavy wear patterns, and any insect or animal damage. A scan through
capacity came a new name: Invaluable.com shows a healthy number of 20th century braided rugs
Thorndike Mills. The business at auction, most in the $50-$700 range. Antique braided rugs at
flourished after World War II. auction can range into the $2,000-$5,000 range.
The explosion From fabric to braid, Braided rugs have found their real value as a woman’s handcraft,
of demand for a specialty of early machine-driven decorative accessory, and cultural art form, appreciated in particular by
these floor cover- manufacturer Thorndike Mills Arts & Crafts, Folk Art, and Primitives collectors, alike.

Erastus Bigelow:

New England Rug Manufacturer and Inventor

rastus Brigham Bigelow was born at West his teeming mind, could
Boylston, Worcester, Massachusetts on neither make anything with
EApril 2, 1814. From age 10, Bigelow was his hands, nor sketch, always
obliged to work and therefore forgo a formal worked through a draftsman
education, but always showed his inventive to create his machines.”
nature no matter where he was working. Following his earlier
At the age of 14, Bigelow invented a machines came the one
machine to manufacture piping cord, for which Bigelow is best known for:
he received $100. This enabled him to return to the 1839 invention of the
his education and absorb the academics that Bigelow power loom.
would drive his future.
The Big Boom
The Start of It All Erastus Brigham Bigelow Production of carpets in
By the age of eighteen, Erastus had devised a (1814-1879) the United States had doubled
hand-loom for making suspender webbing and within one year after the 1928 Bigelow advertisement
another machine for making piping-cord. In 1837 he invented a power introduction of this loom,
loom for making coach lace, followed in 1838 by a power loom for For decades, Bigelow continually improved his designs, inventing a series
weaving counterpanes. These of faster, more capable power looms that made rugs and carpets more
The Patent Model of the Power Loom looms also contained features affordable, and earned him 35 patents from 1838 and 1876. The original
that were later adapted to weav- Bigelow loom is now part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collections.
ing rugs. Erastus next produced a In 1843 Erastus and his brother Horatio established a gingham mill,
loom capable of weaving two-ply around which the town of Clinton, MA, grew. Several years later, he
ingrain carpets, which previously founded the Bigelow Carpet Mills there. Built in 1847 and repeatedly
had been woven on hand-looms enlarged until 1922, this large mill complex was one of the world’s
at two yards a day. Various major early automated manufacturers of woven tapestry and carpets.
improvements in Bigelow's looms Recognized during his lifetime as the inventor of all the basic
soon enabled a weaver to turn out machinery for carpet and tapestry weaving, Bigelow’s inventions
twenty-five yards per day. enabled many more consumers to enjoy the comfort of heavy textiles in
According to the Bigelow their homes, once accessible only to the wealthy, and today a part of our
Society (bigelowsociety.com), “Erastus, of whom it was said that despite everyday life.

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