Web Directory

» A House Divided, America in the Age of Lincoln
   Chicago Historical Society's web site about the history of the American Civil War, including the slave trade and its importance in the development of the US cotton growing and textile industries. Extensive slide show on slavery and the cotton industry, an
   http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ahd/index.html

» A Short Cultural History of Linen
   The history of flax cultivation from the ancient Egyptians in 5000 BC to the present, including a description of linen fibers extraction and processing. From The Linen Weavers' web site.
   http://www.die-leinenweber.de/linen-cultural-history-en_10.html

» A Short History of Manufactured Fibers
   History of manufactured fiber from the invention of artificial silk in 1855 to the wash and wear revolution of acrylic, polyester and microfiber. Time line for first US production of various fibers. From Fibersource. Com.
   http://www.fibersource.com/f-tutor/history.htm

» Carbon Fiber History
   Short history of carbon fiber, from Thomas Edison's invention and use of carbon filaments for early light bulbs in 1879 to its current applications as reinforcement material for composites. From the Carbon Fiber Info web site.
   http://www.carbon-fiber-hood.net/cf-history

» Cotton - A History
   Collection of short narratives about the history of cotton, from pre-history to the present, in trade and industry, and its role in slavery and African culture. From the New Internationalist Magazine.
   http://www.newint.org/features/2007/04/01/history/

» Cotton History
   Information resource on the history of cotton, including links to cotton spinning, weaving, dyeing and printing, the Industrial Revolution, and cotton production and trade. From the Plant Cultures web site.
   http://www.plantcultures.org/plants/cotton_history.html

» Cotton: From Field to Fabric
   Fact sheet about the origins of cotton, cotton cultivation, grading and processing, and the properties and applications of cotton in textiles and garments. From the Georgia Cotton Commission's web site.
   http://www.georgiacottoncommission.org/images/E0010401/CottonFromFieldToFabricSUNBELTFINAL.pdf

» Cotton: King of Crops in Georgia
   Fact sheet about the history of cotton cultivation, the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney, the inventive uses of cotton during the Industrial Revolution in the US, the appearance of the Boll Weevil which severely damaged cotton production, and cu
   http://www.georgiacottoncommission.org/images/E0010401/brochure.pdf

» Fabric History
   Time line with concise descriptions for natural and man-made fibers, utilised in the manufacture of textile fabrics. From Fabriclink.Com.
   http://www.fabriclink.com/University/History.cfm

» Fiber Wars
   Historical record of the hemp industry, introducing hemp and its early importance to mankind, and defining hemp's political struggle in the 20th century. Author: Dr. David P. West.
   http://www.globalhemp.com/Archives/Essays/Fiber/fiber_wars.html

» Flax & Linen
   Homepage about the history and development of flax and linen in Belgium. Information about flax cultivation, harvesting and processing into linen fibers, and the home-based flax industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.
   http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~belghist/Flanders/Pages/flaxLinen.htm

» Flax Page
   Web site of the North Dakota State University containing the history and industrial uses of flax, links to article search and a catalog of photographs.
   http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/agnic/flax/

» Flax Production in the 17th Century
   Brief history on growing flax crops for linen manufacturing. Descriptions of flax fiber, its properties and uses, and methods of processing. From Jamestown Historic Briefs.
   http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/flax-production-in-the-seventeenth-century.htm

» Flax as an Object for Studying Social History.
   Blog by Josh MacFadyen started to collect stories pertaining to flax processing and manufacturing in North America between the mid 19th Century and the Great Depression. Links to papers and related sites.
   http://flaxhistory.wordpress.com/about/

» Hemp Textile Room
   Part of the USA Hemp Museum project, providing a history of the uses of hemp in textile fabrics for military, sailcloth and industrial applications.
   http://www.hempmuseum.org/ROOMS/ARM%20TEXTILES.htm

» History of Cotton in India
   Introduction to the history, development and future scenarios for the cotton growing and processing industry in India. From Ikisan, Ltd.
   http://www.ikisan.com/links/ap_cottonhistopy.shtml

» History of Du Pont's Nylon Fibers
   Extensive history of the Du Pont de Nemours Company, the invention of the polyamide polymer and subsequently developed man-made fibers, and their commercialization in consumer and industrial products. From CHA, Inc.
   http://www.cha4mot.com/p_jc_dph.html

» History of Sericulture
   Short history of silk production from the Bombyx Mori moth for yarn making applications, from 2700 BC to the present times. Author: Dr. Ron Cherry.
   http://www.insects.org/ced1/seric.html

» Jack Herer.Com
   On-line excerpts of the writer's book, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes", dealing with the history of hemp, its past uses and future possibilities.
   http://www.jackherer.com/

» King Cotton In The Civil War
   The story of cotton and its importance during the American Civil War. From Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War.
   http://www.civilwarhome.com/kingcotton.htm

» Linen
   Excerpt of The Linen Industry in North Lancashire and Cumbria, 1660-1830, presenting the history of the flax cultivation and linen textile industry of North-West England. Author: Margaret Robinson.
   http://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/linen.htm

» Mohair - The Diamond Fiber
   The history of mohair and angora fiber uses and goat breeding, from biblical times to the present day. From the Singing Falls web site.
   http://www.singingfalls.com/mohair.html

» Northampton Silk Project
   Community wide effort to uncover, understand and convey the story of mulberry silk in Northampton, Massachusetts, and its place in the history of silk throughout the world.
   http://www.smith.edu/hsc/silk/

» Plant Cultures - Cotton
   Information about the plant profile, history, production and trade of cotton fiber and by-products in textiles, food and medicine. From Plant Cultures.
   http://www.plantcultures.org/plants/plants_landing.html

» Silk
   From the Vegan Society's pages. The history of silk. Production, properties and uses of silk fiber. A critical look on the exploitation of the silk worm in industrial processes.
   http://www.vegansociety.com/hubpage.aspx?id=181&terms=silk

» Silk Production in the 17th Century
   History of the development of the silk trade. Description of sericulture, and the properties of silk fiber and cloth. From Jamestown Historic Briefs.
   http://www.nps.gov/jame/historyculture/silk-production-in-the-seventeenth-century.htm

» Spinning the Web
   Manchester Library and Information Service led New Opportunities Fund internet project, presenting the history and development of the cotton industry, and the impact it had on the British economy and society.
   http://www.spinningtheweb.org.uk/

» Staplcotn - The First 75 Years
   The history of the origin and growth of the Mississippi cotton marketing organization, including a detailed history of cotton cultivation, processing and manufacturing in the United States.
   http://www.staplcotn.com/75-year-history.html

» The History of British Wool
   A history of wool processing and the manufacture of woollen yarns and fabrics on the British Islands, from the Bronze Age to modern times. From the web site of the British Wool Marketing Board.
   http://www.sheepcentre.co.uk/wool.htm

» The History of Cotton
   The history of the cultivation, processing and applications of cotton fiber from 5000 BC to the present, including the dyeing, printing and finishing of cotton fabrics. From the New England Mercantile Group web site.
   http://www.nemercantile.com/cotton_history_of_cotton.html

» The History of Cotton in Oklahoma
   Short history of cotton cultivation in Oklahoma, USA, beginning in 1908 and developing into one of the most valuable agricultural crops of the state. From the Oklahoma State University's web site.
   http://www.okstate.edu/ag/oces/cotton_ipm/history.htm

» The History of Flax Use in New Zealand
   Short article about the history of flax plants and fibers the Maori people used as a raw material for clothing, food gathering, hunting, fishing, homeware and medicine, long before the arrival of European settlers. Links to linen weaving and dyeing. Autho
   http://www.alibrown.co.nz/history-of-nz-flax.html

» Virgin River Cotton Mission
   The history of the Mormon settlement of the Salt Lake valley in 1847 and the development of cotton cultivation in the area, which peaked during the American Civil War and was abandoned near the end of the 19th Century. From the Hurricane Valley Journal. A
   http://www.hvjournal.com/articles.php?id=2140

» Wild Fibres
   Information resource about the history of natural fibers from animals and plants, and their use for weaving, spinning and dyeing. Glossary of terms. Textile timeline from the Stone Age to the Victorian period.
   http://www.wildfibres.co.uk/

» Worm Spit
   Michael Cook's homepage about sericulture, and the harvesting, processing and dyeing of silk fiber. Library of full text out of copyrighted antique books, articles, monographs, and images about silk, on PDF files. Links to related sites.
   http://www.wormspit.com/