CYRUS HALL McCORMICK 



and walnut cabinet that were made by his 

 hands. More than this, he invented new types 

 of farm machinery, a hemp-brake, a clover 

 huller, a bellows, and a threshing-machine. 



The little log workshop still stands where 

 Robert McCormick and his sons hammered and 

 tinkered on rainy days. It is about twenty-four 

 feet square, with an uneven floor, and a heavy 

 door that was hung in place by home-made 

 nails and home-made hinges. There was a 

 forge on either side of the chir " " that two 

 men could work at the same time; and one 

 small rusted anvil is all that now remains of its 

 equipment. 



As for the McCormick homestead itself, there 

 were so many manufacturing activities in it that 

 it was literally half a home and half a factory. 

 Shoes were cobbled, cotton, flax, and wool were 

 spun into yarn, woven into cloth, and fashioned 

 into clothes for the whole family. The stockings 

 and mitts and caps were all home-made, and so 

 was the cradle in which the eight children were 

 rocked. What with the moulding of candles, 

 and sewing of carpet-rags, and curing of hams, 



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