Dery Silk Mill
Catasauqua, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Here was D. George Dery's first Pennsylvania silk mill, built 1897 and later enlarged. By 1914, Dery had 15 mills in this state & one in Massachusetts, employing some 4000 people; was considered the world's largest individual silk manufacturer. Operations ceased, 1923.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Beginning in 1897, D. George Dery built his first Pennsylvania silk mill here in Catasauqua and rapidly expanded across the state. By 1914 his operation spanned fifteen mills and employed thousands, making him one of the world's largest silk manufacturers during the industry's Pennsylvania heyday. The empire proved fragile, and operations ceased in 1923.
Why it matters
The mill is a window into Pennsylvania's silk boom, when the state's factory towns drew immigrant labor and briefly led a major American textile industry.
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Related people
- · D. George Dery
Themes & tags
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