Harmony’s 186-year-old yarn mill sold

HARMONY – A company that has been spinning yarn since long before the Civil War and was used as the setting for Stephen King’s movie “Graveyard Shift” has changed ownership.

Bartlettyarns Inc., believed to be the oldest U.S. woolen mill in continuous existence since 1821, has been sold by Russell B. Pierce of Brunswick to Susan and Lindsey Rice of Barrington, N.H., former customers of the company.

Including Pierce, the company employed 11 people, half of whom live in this small Somerset County community.

Susan and Lindsey Rice, who used to deliver raw wool from their farm to the Harmony company to be spun into yarn, had inquired of an employee several months ago if the business would ever be sold, Pierce said.

The employee suggested they should ask Pierce. He did not disclose details of the sale.

Pierce said that in his retirement, he plans to travel and visit his children and grandchildren who are scattered about the nation.

“I’m very pleased to see that a company with the history Bartlettyarns Inc. has is going to end up with owners who really have the dedication to continue the company and to nourish and flourish the company,” Pierce said Wednesday.

Bartlettyarns specializes in 100 percent wool hand-knitting yarns, and is best known for its Fisherman yarns, long a favorite for knitting mittens for lobstermen, as well as sweaters, scarves, caps and socks, according to Pierce.

As it was when the yarn-spinning mill opened, the majority of the raw product comes from farmers who raise sheep and who deliver their fleece to the mill, according to Pierce.

In addition, the company buys some wool from brokers, he said.

Much of the yarn is spun on machines that are more than 100 years old and which are still operating with efficiency, Pierce said. In fact, the newest yarn spinning machine, called a “mule,” was purchased in 1948, he noted.

The employees, some of whom were on board when Pierce bought the mill 25 years ago, are skilled in their jobs and take good care of the machinery, according to Pierce.

Much of the yarn produced is traded back to the farmers who delivered the fleece to the mill. Other customers include traditional retail yarn shops, primary schools across the country which incorporate knitting into the curriculum, and designers.

Pierce said the company has dealers throughout the country but most of the yarn is used by people on the West Coast and by residents in the Northeast.

The new owners could not be reached on Wednesday for comment.