Flax hackle, circa 1800

Flax hackle. Flax was a significant crop during the colonial and frontier eras. It was harvested to make linen and flaxseed oil. Hackling was one of several steps used to release fiber from the flax plant. Fibers were pulled through different-sized combs, working from coarse to fine. Home production of flax increased during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 due to trade embargoes. Free and enslaved women prepared and spun the flax into a usable yarn that was woven into sheets, blankets, and clothing. Surplus textiles and clothes were sold locally and sent down the Ohio River via flatboats to the Port of New Orleans. Historian Hazel Yearsley Shaw noted that in 1810-1811, during nine months, 8,140 yards of country linen passed through the falls of the Ohio River.

1978.4.22, Museum Collection, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky

1978.4.22