In a 1901 Dickinson College Sociology paper, William Ames referred to Carlisle as a “manufacturing and industrial center”. “The industries have added much to the advancement of the town,” said Ames. Ames mentions over 15 factories and mills in his paper, all located in the Carlisle area. Shoes and carpet factories and silk, bottle, and flour mills are all mentioned as examples. In a society controlled by “big box” stores, how many of the industries have been able to survive over the past years? Do the existing industries in Carlisle have the same impact on the advancement of the town that they had over 100 years ago?
G.M.
1901 Sociology Class Students Papers on the History of Carlisle – Archived with the Special Collections Library of Dickinson College