Many historians consider
Lowell, Massachusetts
to be the first company town in the US. In the early 19th century, Francis Cabot Lowell — the businessman known for pushing the American industrial revolution forward — established his first textile factory and the Boston Manufacturing Company in Waltham, Massachusetts.
What were some examples of company towns?
- Pullman, Illinois. Raymond BoydGetty Images. …
- Kohler, Wisconsin. Wikimedia Commons. …
- Batsto, New Jersey. John GreimGetty Images. …
- Kennecott, Alaska. …
- Hershey, Pennsylvania. …
- Coltsville, Connecticut. …
- Lowell, Massachusetts. …
- Steinway Village, New York.
Which became the most famous of the company towns?
- Pullman, Illinois: An ambitious social experiment that failed.
- Hershey, Pennsylvania: A chocolate king's industrial utopia.
- Steinway Village, New York: An escape from labor organizers.
- Roebling, New Jersey: A town that helped build some of America's most famous bridges.
What was a company town quizlet?
company towns. – A
city or town where a single company owns much or all real estate residing there
.
What was often true of company towns?
Company towns often
housed laborers in fenced-in or guarded areas
, with the excuse that they were “protecting” laborers from unscrupulous travelling salesmen. In the South, free laborers and convict laborers were often housed in the same spaces, and suffered equally terrible mistreatment.
How much was rent in Pullman history?
The Original Town of Pullman was completed in 1884. The
average rent for three room apartments was $8.00 to $8.50
. The rent for a five-room row house (with basement, bathroom, and water faucet on each of two floors) was $18.00 per month. Larger homes for professionals and company officers began at $25.00.
Who made company towns?
The first truly planned company town was Lowell, Massachusetts. In the early 19th century,
Francis Cabot Lowell
, a merchant from Boston, visited factories in England to try to memorize and (illegally) bring back to the United States the technology he saw there.
What did a company town look like?
Company towns are often planned with
a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and recreation facilities
. They are usually bigger than a model village (“model” in the sense of an ideal to be emulated).
What is a factory town?
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is
typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories
, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles.
Is Chicago a company town?
Illinois. Hegewisch, Chicago, founded by Adolph Hegewisch (President of the United States Rolling Stock Company) to emulate the company town of
Pullman
.
What is one specific way that living in a company town prevented?
What is one specific way that living in a company town prevented workers from forming organized labor unions?
Workers paid the company for all of their needs, such as food and housing
. Company agents were constantly monitoring residents. Everyone in the town worked for the same company.
What were the benefits of company towns?
As access to surrounding municipalities increased, residents of company towns gained
access to an increasing amount of government-funded public resources such as schools, libraries
, and parks. Modernization and the increase in material well-being had also lessened the perceived need for paternalism and moral reform.
What was often true of company towns quizlet?
What was often true of company towns?
demand for coal fell after oil was discovered
.
How do company towns work?
The company town was an economic institution that was part of the market for labor. In a company town a single firm provided
its employees with goods and services
, hired police, collected garbage, dispensed justice, and answered (or failed to answer) complaints from residents.
What was wage slavery in company towns?
In hard times, a steady wage and company-provided food and shelter can sound like a pretty good deal, but the wages were often paid in
“scrip
,” company-printed currency that could only be spent at stores and establishments owned by the company. The effect was to increase workers' dependancy on their employers.
How did company towns negatively impact the workers who lived there?
How did company towns negatively impact the workers who lived in them?
Factories began to replace small “cottage” industries
. As the population grew so did wants and needs.
