In 1845, penniless William Skinner sailed in steerage class on a boat that took him from the slums of London to the United States. Because of his unpa
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In 1845, penniless William Skinner sailed in steerage class on a boat that took him from the slums of London to the United States. Because of his unparalleled knowledge of dyeing and an uncanny business sense, he acquired work in a fledgling silk mill in Massachusetts, quickly rising to prominence in the new luxury industry in the United States. Thereafter he opened his own factory and soon turned his silk into one of the bestselling brands in the country. Skinner was lauded as a pioneer in the textile industry. His business grew to sustain a bustling community filled with men, women, and children, living and working in the mill village of “Skinnerville,” producing America’s most glamorous, fashionable thread.
Then, in 1874, millions of tons of water burst through a dam several miles north of Skinnerville. An inland tidal wave tore through the valley, destroying everything in its path, including Skinner’s village. Within fifteen minutes, his entire life’s work had been swept away, and he found himself one of the central figures in the worst industrial disaster the nation had yet known.
In this gripping narrative history, Skinner’s great, great granddaughter, Sarah Skinner Kilborne, tells an inspiring, unforgettable American story—of a town devastated by unimaginable disaster; an industry that had no reason to succeed except for the perseverance of a few intrepid entrepreneurs; and a man who had nothing—and everything—to lose as he struggled to rebuild his life a second time, with just one asset to his name: the knowledge in his head.
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