Industry & Manufacturing - Overview
The Museum's collections document centuries of remarkable changes in products, manufacturing processes, and the role of industry in American life. In the bargain, they preserve artifacts of great ingenuity, intricacy, and sometimes beauty.
The carding and spinning machinery built by Samuel Slater about 1790 helped establish the New England textile industry. Nylon-manufacturing machinery in the collections helped remake the same industry more than a century later. Machine tools from the 1850s are joined by a machine that produces computer chips. Thousands of patent models document the creativity of American innovators over more than 200 years.
The collections reach far beyond tools and machines. Some 460 episodes of the television series Industry on Parade celebrate American industry in the 1950s. Numerous photographic collections are a reminder of the scale and even the glamour of American industry.
"Industry & Manufacturing - Overview" showing 12 items.
Page 1 of 2
Fisherman’s Boots
- Description
- Deck hands working aboard most commercial fishing vessels require protective clothing from head to toe. Non-slip, waterproof footwear is essential, and on the Alaska Ocean factory trawler, the deck hands, as well as the people who work in the factory, wear “Xtratuf” boots. Manufactured in the United States, these neoprene boots are made for “severe fishing, farm, and work conditions.” This pair was worn by a deck hand aboard the Alaska Ocean in summer of 2007.
- date made
- 2007
- 2006-2007
- Associated Date
- 2007
- maker
- Norcross Safety Products, L. L. C.
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.01
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- catalog number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Fisherman’s Hard Hat
- Description
- The weather deck on a factory trawler like the Alaska Ocean can be a dangerous place, especially when the huge net is being launched or hauled aboard. While mechanical winches do the heavy lifting, deck hands have to be present during such operations to attach or change cables, to secure or launch the trawl doors, to open the cod end of the net into the fish bins in the hold, and to accomplish a range of other tasks accurately and efficiently. To protect themselves while working on the deck, fishermen wear hard hats, earplugs, and other gear.
- This hard hat was worn by Alaska Ocean deck hand Matt Prebezac in 2007. Like other fishermen aboard, he customized the standard white hard hat so there would be no confusion over which hat to grab when the call came to report to the deck. Using a black permanent marker, he wrote the words “Rock Star” on the back of the hat. This ensured it wouldn’t be mistaken for his buddy Ben Boyok’s hat, which was adorned with the profile of a hawkeye, the team mascot of the University of Iowa, in Ben’s home state. Throughout the 2007 season, the Rock Star and the Iowa hawkeye, with four other deck hands, a lead fisherman, and a deck officer, worked 12-hour shifts in two teams.
- date made
- 2007
- Associated Date
- 2007
- used
- Prebezac, Matt
- maker
- Bullard
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.02
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.02
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Fisherman’s Sweatshirt
- Description
- This heavyweight, extra-large hooded sweatshirt was worn by one of the deck hands working aboard the Alaska Ocean catcher-processer in 2007. It features the logo of the Alaska Ship Supply store in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, a major commercial fishing port at the end of the Aleutian Chain. Although the Alaska Ocean’s home port is now Seattle (it was formerly Anacortes, Washington), Dutch Harbor serves as the vessel’s home base during the months it operates in the Bering Sea.
- The 125-person crew of the Alaska Ocean is at sea for several weeks at a time, and they look forward to reaching Dutch Harbor where they unload the frozen fish products and resupply the ship. The captain and crew can take care of personal business while in port as well, and stores like Alaska Ship Supply cater to their needs by selling clothing, supplies, marine hardware, groceries, postage, and other items.
- The Alaska Ocean is a 376-foot-long vessel in the Seattle-based catcher-processor fleet. Workers catch, process, package, and freeze groundfish—mostly pollock and Pacific whiting—in the Bering Sea and in the waters off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. The vessel can harvest about 325 metric tons of fish per day and can freeze over 250,000 pounds of fish product daily.
- date made
- ca 2007
- maker
- Alaska Ship Supply
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.06
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.06
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Sweatpants
- Description
- Working on a factory trawler like the Alaska Ocean means living at sea for weeks at a time. The vessel fishes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and everyone aboard works a 12-hour shift. Although at 376 feet the vessel is huge, it is still a confined space with little variation in routines. People relax by working out in the gym, having a snack in the galley, or by watching movies (DVDs) in the large lounge, where a dozen recliners are arranged in a loose semicircle. The staterooms also have television sets and in early June when the boat is typically fishing in the North Pacific off the coast of Washington State, many of the sets are tuned in to Seattle Mariners’ baseball games.
- Fishing boat attire runs toward jeans and T-shirts, but sweatpants and shirts are also worn. Sweatpants decorated with the words ALASKA OCEAN running up one leg were popular during the 2007 season. They were worn in leisure time as well as under coveralls during work hours. The pants were available, along with T-shirts, jackets, ball caps, and other attire, in the ship’s store.
- date made
- 2007
- Associated Date
- 2007
- maker
- Jerzees
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.12
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.12
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Factory Processor’s Bump Hat
- Description
- The factory inside a large trawler like the Alaska Ocean is filled with equipment for filleting, processing, freezing, and packing enormous quantities of fish. Workers are trained in safety procedures and also wear protective headgear and earplugs as they work. While not required to wear certified safety helmets like the fishermen on the weather deck, they wear bump hats molded from high-density polyethylene for protection from minor bumps and bruises.
- This yellow bump hat was worn by Thelma McFarland, a fish processor, who was working her third season aboard the Alaska Ocean in 2007. She wore it over a disposable hairnet, which covered and held her hair in place, a requirement for maintaining sanitary conditions in the factory. There are typically four factory shifts, and the bump hats are color-coded according to each shift—blue for A, yellow for B, green for C, and orange for D shift. The color-coding allows managers to quickly assess the number of workers that will be needed on extra kicker shifts. The lead managers in each area wear red bump hats.
- date made
- 2007
- Associated Date
- 2007
- used
- McFarland, Thelma
- maker
- Bullard
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.13
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.13
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Protective Sleeves
- Description
- These vinyl sleeves are worn from the wrist to just above the elbow by people working in the factory aboard the trawler Alaska Ocean. Worn tucked into work gloves, the sleeves help keep a worker’s forearms dry. The company supplies such sleeves, which are cleaned frequently and reused. An estimated 200 pairs of sleeves were stocked aboard the Alaska Ocean during the 2007 season. The Alaska Ocean operates in the North Pacific and the Bering Sea.
- date made
- 2007
- Associated Date
- 2007
- maker
- Grundens
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.15
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.15
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Factory Processor’s Gloves
- Description
- Despite automation of basic fish processing functions like gutting and filleting, there is still a lot of handwork to be done aboard a factory trawler like the Alaska Ocean. And work around cold water, fresh fish, and heavy machinery means that gloves are a crucial part of a factory worker’s outfit.
- These heavy vinyl gloves were worn by a female fish processor during the summer fishing season in 2007. An estimated 1200 to 1400 pairs of these gloves were being used, cleaned, and reused aboard the Alaska Ocean in 2007.
- In addition to these heavy work gloves, the onboard laundry operation oversaw the distribution of 5,000 pairs of lighter rubber gloves, 800 pairs of cotton gloves, and 1200 pairs of wool gloves. The crew working in the freezer hold, known as the “pain cave,” wore thick, insulated gloves, and lab workers used disposable gloves when conducting tests on products for quality control.
- date made
- 2007
- worn
- 2007
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.16
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.16
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Factory Processor’s Boots
- Description
- These non-slip, waterproof boots were worn by Thelma McFarland, a fish processor working aboard the Alaska Ocean factory trawler in the summer of 2007. Manufactured in the USA, these “Xtratuf” boots are made of neoprene, a synthetic rubber.
- Processors work 12-hour shifts and, if the factory is busy, they may work an additional 3 hours, called a kicker shift. For most of this time, the workers are on their feet, standing at processing tables or conveyor belts, or walking from one station to another on grated walkways. These walkways, like the areas around the equipment where processors stand to work, are raised above the floor, allowing the water used in factory operations to run beneath the workers’ feet. Despite being elevated above any water flow, it is still essential for workers to wear non-slip, waterproof boots to keep their feet warm and dry.
- These boots are identical to those worn by deck hands. Most of the specialized clothing worn by workers and crew aboard the Alaska Ocean is provided by the company. Boots, however, are purchased by individuals, and are available in the on-board store. Felt insoles for the boots are available in the laundry and are washed frequently by laundry staff.
- date made
- 2007
- used
- 2007
- used
- McFarland, Thelma
- maker
- Norcross Safety Products, L. L. C.
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.17
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.17
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Factory Processor’s Apron
- Description
- This vinyl bib apron was worn by fish processor Thelma McFarland over her coveralls and rain pants during her work shifts aboard the factory trawler Alaska Ocean in the summer of 2007. Processors like McFarland stand at long tables or conveyor belts and encounter considerable water and fish parts as they work. Processors typically wear aprons of one sort of another for protection.
- Although the on-board laundry crew takes care of cleaning workers’ coveralls, rain pants, gloves, and plastic sleeves, each worker is responsible for cleaning his or her apron. McFarland, who is about 5 feet tall, adjusted her apron to suit her small frame by cutting off the lower portion. She also personalized it by writing her name in permanent marker across the bib.
- date made
- 2007
- used
- 2007
- used
- McFarland, Thelma
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.18
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.18
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Alaska Ocean Coveralls
- Description
- Fish processors, laboratory staff, inspectors, supervisors, and others who work in the factory aboard the Alaska Ocean wear royal blue coveralls like these when on duty. These polyester coveralls are worn over other clothing to maintain standards of hygiene in the factory. Some processors change their coveralls several times during their daily 12-hour shift, which can extend to kicker shifts of an additional three hours. Because clean coveralls are always in demand, the factory’s laundry crew keeps the industrial washers and dryers running continuously. The coveralls, with the words Alaska Ocean emblazoned across the back, zip up the front and are typically worn tucked into boots.
- date made
- 2006
- Associated Date
- 2007
- used
- McFarland, Thelma
- maker
- Fristads
- ID Number
- 2007.0178.20
- catalog number
- 2007.0178.20
- accession number
- 2007.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center