The Susquehanna Silk Mill in Milton was built in 1919. In 1938, it was purchased by Hector Boiardi for the first production of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee foods. If you stand on ferry street today and look at the Con Agra Building, the original silk mill building is in the middle, surrounded by new construction.
Other Silk Mills:
- The Souter Silk Mill in Milton became the Shoe Factory
- The Dakin Silk Factory In Milton
- When a Silk Mill Worker Advertised For a $10,000 husband, In Milton
The Susquehanna Silk Company was established in 1896. They had plants in several towns.
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| One of the first pieces of machinery hauled into site of new Susquehanna silk mill, Milton Pa., 1919 |
"To the west of Chestnut Street was a marsh that was never developed. Civic-minded citizens acquired this land in 1920 with the idea of attracting industry. Susquehanna Silk Mills had purchased the Souter Silk Company on Hepburn Street in 1913. In the early 1920s they moved their production of silk cloth to the new plant that they built on Marr Street, which was the west and highest part of the marsh. The company deeded their Hepburn Street building and land to the Milton School Board with the provision that it was to be used for educational purposes. The company prospered during the 1920s but encountered financial problems in the early 1930s when the depression made silk clothes and articles too expensive for the average person. Also, rayon was one of the first synthetics made and cloth made from this fiber was more affordable. It was slow, however, to become acceptable to the low-end market for clothing. The Milton plant of the Susquehanna Silk Mills closed in 1936.
Again, civic leaders went seeking an industry that would give steady employment to Milton. They found it in Hector Boiardi, who had worked in many clubs and hotels as the chef-in-charge of sauces. His Italian-style sauce had found such success that he took the many suggestions that he market the sauce and his spaghetti dinners. When the kitchen in his Cleveland restaurant could not handle the demand, he went seeking a building that could be fitted with facilities to meet commercial production. The Susquehanna Silk Mill building was ideal for his needs and in 1938 Milton people began the production of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee Quality Foods, an immediate success in a market that had very little prepared Italian food.
During WWII the Boy-Ar-Dee plant produced special rations for the armed services. After the war, Boiardi sold his interest in the plant to American Home Food Products, Inc., who expanded to meet the demand for prepared foods. They continued to use the Chef Boy-Ar-Dee logo. “ - Milton, Pennsylvania, the 19th Century Town on Limestone Run” by Homer F. Folk
Used By The Guard For Drills Prior To 1923
The Guard Company L, 109th Infantry, had no armory prior to 1923. They occupied an iron foundry owned by the Milton Manufacturing company, and then the Susquehanna Silk Mill factory.
Neither company would accept any payment for rental and lights. "This generosity has been much appreciated by state authorities."
The Sunbury Mill
The Susquehanna Silk Mill, Sunbury Pa
Converting Silk
Converting silk required several steps. First, 100-yard pieces ran through a singeing machine to burn away slubs or flaws. Then the pieces were soaked in boiling suds and bleached to allow the dyes to absorb evenly into the fabric. Workers moved the fabric to the dye house, tinted it in large vats and dried it on large steam-filled drums.
After it was completely dry, the fabric was lightly starched and finished.
The Plant in Sunbury was the precurser to today's Sunbury Textile Mills. The company added the converting works to it's operation in 1903. Today the converting works is the Knight-Celotex building.
After the silk industry collapsed and synthetic fabrics flooded the market, the factory was home to Westinghouse Electric Corp., which had government contracts to produce goods during World War II. Westinghouse left Sunbury and moved its operations to New Jersey in the early 1950s. Later, new owners converted the sizable plant to manufacture pulp and fiberboard building products made over the years by Barrett, Jim Walter and Knight-Celotex corporations
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There were additional Susquehanna Silk Mills In:
Lock Haven PA
Marion Ohio
Lewistown Pa
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1913
1919
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