East of the Mississippi eiver. 485 



tlie third were all common, with some Merino rams among them. They 

 were under the charge of three shepherds, who slept beside them all 

 night in movable tents,' and a watchman from the town attends them 

 during the day." * 



There were some fine rams in this flock, among them one for which 

 $1,000 had been paid. In addition to the wool raised from this flock, 

 the factory established by Mr. Eapp worked wool brought in from 50 

 miles around, which gave great encouragement to the raising and im- 

 provement of sheep, and some fall-blood and high-grade flocks were 

 formed. A Merino ram from this flock purchased in 1813 for $100 was 

 the foundation of the flock of Gen. Thomas Patterson, of Washington 

 County. 



Mr. Eapp manufactured broadcloths and narrow cloths of a superior 

 quality. Mr. Melish, who visited the factory in 1811, writes : 



In the wool loft, 8 or 10 women were employed in teasing and sorting the wool for 

 the carding machine, which is at a distance on the creek. From thence the roves 

 are brought to the spinning house in the town, where we found two roving billies 

 and six spinning jennies at work. They were principally wrought by young girls, 

 and they appeared perfectly happy, singing church music most melodiously. In the 

 evening sixteen looms were at work, besides several warpers and winders. We saw 

 450 pieces of broad and narrow cloth, part of it of Merino wool, and of as good a, 

 fabric as any that was ever made in England. We were told that they could sell 

 the best broadcloth as fast as made at $10 a yard. 



Mr. Eapp removed his colony and the greater part of his sheep in 

 1814 to New Harmony, Ind., where he established his sheep farm and 

 the woolen manufacture, returning to Pennsylvania in 1824 or 1825, to 

 settle at Economy, Beaver County, where he laid out 4,000 acres in 

 sheep walks and bred many sheep, the wool of which supported a pros- 

 perous woolen manufacture. 



The largest and most successful woolen factories of this period were 

 those whose owners bred their own sheep near their own doors. Where 

 this was not convenient flocks were introduced into the neighborhood 

 and let out to farmers to be cared for and increased, on such terms as 

 could be agreed upon. The mill operatives were the daughters and 

 younger sons of the neighboring farmers. 



A Pittsburg paper of June 22, 1810, notices the arrival of 200 Merino 

 sheep at the farm of Brintnall Eobbins, 1 mile from town, on the pre- 

 ceding Wednesday, from Col. Humphreys' flock in Connecticut. They 

 were offered for sale or exchange for cattle or flour. Many of them 

 were disposed of in the vicinity and the remainder went westward. A 

 few descended the Ohio. 



In the great movement westward from 1810 to 1820 thousands of 

 sheep were driven through Pennsylvania on their way to Ohio and 



* "Travels through the United States of America.'' John Melish, 1815. 



