Looming Large

It was 11AM when our trusty Lincoln Towncar pulled in to the Family Heirloom Textile Factory in Red Lion, PA. The factory is housed right besides the old farm and creek where Granny (Rich's grandmother), used to hunt muskrats with her cousins who were well-versed in the art of trapping.

As with many of life's great things, it was not much of a sight from the outside. But as we stepped inside, owner David Kline, sitting at an antique desk with his fingers clasped, started to talk and offered to give us a tour through his looming factory. And the rest was, is, and will continue to be amazing history.



The Family Heirloom Textile factory is one of the only surviving textile mills in the United States. Taking original 18th and 19th century loom designs, the factory produces new rugs, stair runners, throws, curtains, etc.



The entire production process is incredibly intricate. As you can see below, hundreds of cardboard pages with holes designating designs are woven together into a long instruction sheet for the looms. It takes hundreds of sheets to create just a few shapes or letters.



Authenticity-seeking Hollywood producers commission David to make stair runners and carpets for their historical fiction blockbusters (Gettysburg, Gods & Generals, etc.) and he has a tear-sheet that would make any prop-dealer green with envy.



Most of the machines are antiquated and worth virtually nothing outside the walls of the factory. But they are the heart and soul of Family Heirloom. David and a few employees keep them up and running on their knowledge and elbow grease alone.













Here is a glimpse at some of the fabrics they produce. Rich and I bought a few pounds of scrap fabric to cover our wooden stairway.



Next door to the factory is a charming old stone home completely outfitted with many of Family Heirloom's designs. You can browse, shop and take a little 18th century home with you.