Thornton vas reconstructed, it followed an accepted ‘insurance plan’

Thornton vas reconstructed, it followed an accepted ‘insurance plan’ building design. This ‘plan’ had evolved since the 1830s as insurance companies sought to limit their liabilities in mill catastrophes. Multiple well-lit bays and walls supported on massive poured-concrete piers were hallmarks of the “insurance’ driven mill plans. And lots of brick. At the Rappahannock Woolen Mills, five course brick walls from the earlier structure were retained on the two sides while cppious floor-to-ceiling windows in each of the seven bays allowed maximum light onto work floors. The newer walls were also fashioned from the ubiquitous little red clay building blocks.

Operation of the mill was quite literally top to bottom.The raw wool was brought in on the fourth floor, pulled and “picked’ on the third, carded on the second, and woven op the first. ""Briefly these steps went something like this: after shearing the wool was matted together, pressed flat like a flat rug and rolled into bundles. The bundles were ‘pulled’ apart and scoured by a machine called a willower. It was then onto the picking floor where the pulled material was ‘picked’ into small fluffy bits. These bits were passed to the carding equipment that generated the individual threads of wool suitable for weaving.The looms worked their magic and Jill of sudden the “threads’ for a new sport coat are ready (Rappahannock Tweed anyone?) It is thought that dyeing of the finished fabric took place in the basement at Rappahannock Mills. Then, onto the huge shipping dock on the first step of the long road to department store basement sales.

Primary power for machinery operation was a water wheel and two water driven turbines, the latter were more popular than the wheel due to their ability to operate at sub-freezing temperatures and superior mechanical efficiency. Secondary power sources included a steam engine and small gasoline engine.