#Ropewalk July 15

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An establishment that manufactured rope was referred to as a ROPEWALK. As part of the 30 Day History #Coach4adayChallenge I wanted to share a little more about it.

Rope making is one of the first and most useful skills developed by humans. It predates other ancient tools and technologies such as the wheel and the ax. The earliest ropes were made by hand-twisting or braiding vines, grass, reeds, hair, or strips of animal skin. 

One of the first rope manufacturing establishments in North America was located in Edenton NC. The business was called the Edenton Ropewalk. Ropewalks are long covered walks, buildings, or rooms where ropes are manufactured. Hemp fiber is converted into yarn, which is then used to make rope, twine, and cord.

Edenton ROPEWALK was originally established and owned by Declaration of Independence signer Joseph Hewes in 1777. He later sold it to Josiah Collins Sr. and Samuel Johnson in 1783.

During production at a ropewalk, an artisan, called a spinner, slowly walks backwards while feeding yarn into a large turning wheel.  The turning wheel tightly twists and spins the yarn into rope.

The Edenton Ropewalk covered a massive 131-acre plot of land and produced a variety of rope, twine, cordage, and cables. Skilled slaves performed most of the labor, and a record from 1838 shows that 22 slaves worked at the ropewalk. The slaves included male and female workers ranging from 10 to 79 years old.

The Edenton Ropewalk became one of the leading suppliers of superior rope and cordage to the ship builders and Edenton’s thriving shipping industry during the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries.