Paper Bobbin American Thread Company
tinytuesday will spin you a tale!
This paper bobbin is for Star Twist, a cotton thread produced by American Thread Company and marketed for personal use in hand or machine sewing. It came in a dazzling array of “fast colors”. The paper bobbin was likely given as a promotional item when a spool or skein of thread was purchased, a typical marketing strategy for the era.
Before there was the American Thread Company, there was the Kerr Thread Company. Incorporated in 1888, Kerr Thread based their operations out of the Kerr Mill complex, formerly located on the South Watuppa pond; nine years later, in 1897, Kerr Thread became a unit of American Thread Company. American Thread erected two new factories on the Kerr Mill site, along with several outbuildings. In 1949, American Thread moved their headquarters and factories from Fall River down south, like many textile manufacturers in the early to mid-1900s.
The old Kerr Mill complex continued to have businesses operating within the buildings, until a major fire on January 12, 1987 spread throughout the property. The entire complex was destroyed, ending another chapter of Fall River manufacturing history.
For such a storied past, it’s incredible that such a little paper bobbin survived. In fact, this bobbin was found in an old sewing kit all the way in North Dakota! The donor realized that the piece “must have a story to tell” and indeed it does!