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"A History of Textiles in Ontario County", Wilma Townsend, OCHS Curator 

For thousands of years, people have used natural fibers for clothing, household accessories and decorative items. The earliest European settlers to Ontario County grew flax for linen and raised sheep for wool. Production of textiles was done largely in the home. But what happened when textile mills came to the county in the early 19th century? How did the invention of the sewing machine in the 1860s transform home and retail production of clothing and household items? Find out more about the history of textiles in Ontario County at this presentation. Selected original artifacts will be on display.