The World of Work

I can tell you with certainty that people invited to the sandbox of history react in one of two ways: unbridled enthusiasm or furtive glances for the nearest exit from the room. Frankly, I’m content with either. So, this afternoon—for nearly two hours!—I enjoyed conversation with a third-year student who actually approached me about the project. You’ll have to ask each participant in Agincourt why they became involved and what they may have derived from the experience; I can only answer for myself.

The Syndicate Mill looks pretty much like this, only twice as long.

Among the potential contributions we discussed, two stood out: housing of some sort and industry (product yet to be determined). Discussions of Agincourt’s early industry have centered on the Syndicate Mills, an early water-powered factory which might have produced anything from planed lumber to shoes. The Krause Iron Foundry stood just north, probably to be near the water but for a different purpose. Despite the fact that the area was close to the new railroad right-of-way, it was cramped and incapable of accommodating anything larger. Any manufacturing facilities built circa 1900 or later would have located west of Mighty Muskrat in the area that came to be called “Industry” and served by the trolley after 1909.

There are two industries I know and one that I’d like to see developed: 1) Krause Bridge & Iron, the development of a family business founded by German immigrant Anton Krause; 2) Hearthstone Industries, maker of enameled kitchenware, founded by David Parmelee but managed by his son-in-law Aidan Archer; and 3) an as yet unnamed plant for the canning of vegetables (a project of interest for both its design as for the graphic design of its corporate image). Surely there will be one or two others. But whatever their output, I suspect the buildings will look something like these 19th and early 20th century examples.

Stay tuned. And feel free to chime in.