Cheney Brothers Silk Manufacturing Company Records

In 1838, six Cheney brothers established the Mount Nebo Silk Company in Manchester, CT. The company adopted the family name in 1843. Aided by booming national markets, a protective tariff, and innovative production methods, the company grew into the nation's largest and most profitable silk mill by the late 1880s. The company pioneered the waste-silk spinning method and the Grant's reel.

At the beginning of World War I, the company employed over 4,700 workers. One out of every four Manchester residents worked at the Cheney Mills in some capacity. The company was an integral part of the community, its domain taking in over 175 acres, including mills buildings, churches, houses, schools, recreation centers, utility companies, and even a railroad. The company was also known nationally for its benevolent system of welfare capitalism. It was one of the first textile mills to use Frederick Taylor's methods of scientific management.

In its early years, the company relied mostly on native-born American labor, but throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the company actively recruited both skilled and unskilled immigrant labor. By the 1920s, foreign worker dominated the labor force.

The company reached its peak in 1923, after which it quickly declined due to industry-wide overproduction and competition from new synthetic fibers such as rayon. During the Depression, the company was forced to borrow heavily to keep the mills running. In 1933, it sold its rail lines and utility companies. The 1930s was also a period of increased labor strife. The company successfully resisted unionization until 1934 when it was forced to accept the United Textile Workers as the bargaining representative of the workers. The company was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1937.

The Second World War brought a temporary recovery in the form of silk parachute production for the war effort; however, after the war, outmoded plant facilities, high labor costs, and strong competition from southern mills forced the Cheney family to sell the company to the textile giant, J. P. Stevens & Company in 1955. J. P. Stevens quickly sold off or destroyed most of the machinery and equipment which produced goods competitive with other Stevens-owned mills. Cheney Brothers was eventually sold to Gerli Incorporated of New York. In 1978, the mills and surrounding neighborhood were declared a National Historical Landmark District.

The mills lingered on in this truncated condition until 1984 when it was closed permanently. Most of the mill buildings were sold to developers who converted them into luxury apartments and offices.

Additional historical information is located in the collection file. Please contact a staff member for further information.