The Keagy/Noble Civil War Blanket
Made by Waterside Woolen Mill

The Blankets Made by Waterside Woolen Mill

Working within the confines of period production…

Our approach to the production of a period blanket includes not only the appearance but in our view, and more significantly the experience of actually working with a 19th century woolen system. Additionally, we used period wool processing machines at a period location that was verifiably making blankets during the Civil War.

The closest existing fiber to that available of the period to the Waterside Woolen mill are the flocks which still exist in a 5 county region from the location of the mill. These growers and flocks are descended from those of the 1860's and represent the actual wool that was supplied to the mill from a region limited by the distance the hucksters driving their teams and wool wagons could cover in an average one-week trip. The fleeces were chosen from small flocks that have great variations of feed and genetics. To the best of our knowledge never has the fiber been specifically procured with this objective in mind.

Scouring or cleaning the greasey wool to remove suint and lanolin was often achieved by using the active ammonia ingredient in hog urine. We took a small liberty in this step. A lot was stock dyed to make an intimate blend. At Waterside Woolen Mill the fleeces are opened, dusted, pickered and blended with the original equipment used in the period. Prior to modern conditioning oils, olive oil was used to condition the fibers and keep them from breaking.

The wool was divided into two separate lots. The first lot remained 100% valuable and scarce virgin wool to be used for the critical, hard-twisted warp yarns. The second lot was to be used for the more forgiving specs of the filling or weft yarns. Blended with less expensive, naturally colored grey wools, soft waste, fly and sweepings from the processing of the first lot, this weft yarn would be spun with softer twist and greater diameter. Additionally, we extended the weft blend even further by pickering various colored hardwaste from the weaving floor and adding to the blend. This is commonly referred to as shoddy.

The end result was a high yield and most economical usage of the valuable wool from the fleeces of the local grower to the finished weight of the yarn available for weaving the civil war blankets according to the specifications provided by the Department of the Quartermaster.

We then began the process of weaving. The original warping mill at Waterside is called sectional warping. The jack spooler, wooden warping reel, and Knowles fly shuttle looms are undoubtedly the oldest operational examples of 19th century woolen blanket production operating today. All of the reproductions that are available today have been made on modern warping and weaving equipment dating from 1950 to present.

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With regard to dyeing we know that the less is more in terms of economics and the reason "grey wool" actually referred to a grey brown or almost tan hue was because of two reasons: the natural urine stains on the white wool would make it yellow and the outer tips of the black wool would have been bleached by the sun to a light brown shade. By careful blending we can create this hue with very little dyed stock in the blend, which is exactly what a mill of the time would have done for economic reasons.

We address the issue of shoddy without detriment to the quality or longevity of the product. Using "hard waste" which is ends of yarn that are cut off and collected then opened on a picker, we can achieve the effect of shoddy and still have a blanket that can last for generations.

The fiber must be lubricated before it is worked any further and modern synthetic lubricants are undoubtedly used in all other reproductions. We chose to use the lubricant of the time…olive oil.

The original carding equipment of the time condensed the wool with ring doffer condensers, a technique which has long since passed in the modern world but is still in use at Waterside. 

Modern spinning on the woolen system uses efficient spinning frames which draft (elongate) the roving over an 8-12 inch draw. The mills of the time were using spinning Jennies, jacks and mules depending on their level of upgrade. We are using an originally equipped spinning mule, which is the oldest operational spinning mule in this country.

Mule spinning allows for a 68" draft which cleans additional vegetable matter from the yarn and allows for a more loft and higher quality yarn. The art of mule spinning is close to lost as it has been replaced by the much more efficient spinning frames.

Our approach at making this original production of a civil war era blanket is dedicated to my great-great grandfather George Clouse who came to this country in 1840 from the linen weaving town of Heinebach in Prussia, bringing his trade and an early American dream. He passed on his work ethic and his dream to his son, Herman who became an owner in the Keagy Woolen Mill and made blankets used in the American Civil War. Just as my forefather made blankets for the brothers in arms of our civil war, I sincerely hope that those of you who make your bedroll with this blanket will honor with pride the American dream of those whom you portray. 

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