Bishop Hill
Arts Council

Contact us for more information:
Bishop Hill Arts Council
P.O. Box 47
Bishop Hill, IL 61419
Bishop Hill State Historic Site (309) 927-3345
Bishop Hill Heritage Association (309) 927-3899
www.bishophillartscouncil.com
Road Map & Directions To Us

Programs of the Bishop Hill Arts Council are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency

Bishop Hill Flax Production

Bishop Hill has a rich history of fiber production. Many of the original followers of Eric Janson were women who were superb spinners and weavers in Sweden. They were skilled in raising flax and processing it into linen.

In the beginning years of Bishop Hill Colony flax was a major agricultural crop. At one time more than 1,000 acres of farmland was planted in flax and according to the 1850 inventory the Colony owned 600 head of sheep, 140 spinning wheels and 12 looms.

Processing flax into linen fabric is a long, labor-intensive process. The seed was sown by hand and the small plants were hand weeded. Harvesting was done by pulling the plants out by the roots and allowing them to dry, much in the same way as oats are dried before going to the threshing machine.

Once the flax plants are dried the seeds are pulled off, then the stalks are “retted,” actually rotted, so the outside hard shell can be scraped off. The retting was done in the Edwards river just north of town. Flax is then “hackled” which separates the fine, inner strands which are spun into linen thread.

After spinning the thread it is taken to the loom where it is woven into fabric. The weavers worked 24 hours a day at the loom, much like the modern factory. Much of the fabric woven in the Colony was fine linen used for undergarments, bed linens, and table linens. Rug material, trouser and shirt fabric was made as well as wool yarn for knitting.

The demand for linen began to decline once the railroad came to Galva. Then cotton from the southern states became readily available. Soon after the Colonists switched to raising broomcorn and making brooms for export.

Many spinning wheels, yarn winders, and looms remain in the museums of the Bishop Hill Colony. Programs on flax production are available to non-profit organizations. Contact the Bishop Hill Heritage Association (309) 927-3899.