science · 16 November 1786 · 238 years ago
In 1786, the first U.S.-made "jenny" and "stock-card" machines were supported by the Massachusetts state legislature. The legislature voted a grant of £200 for the completion of what are believed to be first U.S.-made spinning, carding, and roping machines. In his workshop at Bridgewater, Mass, senator Hugh Orr employed brothers Robert and Alexander Barr, machinists bringing knowledge about such machines from Scotland. The senate subsequently awarded the Barrs six tickets in the state land lottery of the time (in which there were no blanks), as a reward for their "ingenuity " and " public spirit."*The machines, known as "The State Models" were advertised so that the early American textile-machinery manufacturers could benefit.
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