Issue #29 - July 2000

Again we are focusing on the best known of the accelerating wheel heads, those designed and patented by Amos Miner. First we will learn some of the manufacturing history before looking closely at the structure, but we will also examine some less successful variations.

Benjamin Pierce, Wheel-Head Maker
by Frank White

Frank White, curator of mechanical arts at Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA, has been studying the daybooks of Benjamin Pierce of Chesterfield, NH, for several years. Pierce manufactured and sold thousands of wheel heads from 1853 to 1880. Frank gives us insight into Pierce's production and marketing methods. Photo: Benjamin Pierce, courtesy of Old Sturbridge Village

Inside a Miner's Head
by Doug Elliott

In the last in his series of articles about great wheels, Doug Elliott of Philo, CA, studies three Miner's heads. He compares them to the only illustration and specifications that exist of Amos Miner's 1810 design. They come from an 1811 article. Photos: Engraving from Archives of Useful Knowledge (upper left) Wheel head components from the collection of Doug Elliott (upper right) Wheel heads from two makers (below)

Three Unusual Wheel Heads
by Florence Feldman-Wood

While at Old Sturbridge Village, I discovered three unusual, less successful wheel-head designs. Photos: Wheel heads courtesy of Old Sturbridge Village

A Wheel Head with Pewter Bearings
by Roger Hill

Roger Hill of Lena, IL, describes another wheel-head variation he found that has pewter bearings. Photos: Wheel head from the collection of Roger Hill

There's a Place for Us:
The American Textile History Musuem
by Pat Bownas

Pat Bownas of Poughkeepsie, NY, loves spinning wheels. When she isn't collecting them [she has over 50], she likes to visit one of the few places that has more spinning wheels than she does, the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, MA. She gives us a brief history of the museum. Photo: Samuel Dale Stevens, courtesy of the North Andover Historical Society, North Andover, MA