Business along the Blue Ridge : cabinetmaking in Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia, 1750-1825

"Business practices, including those of cabinetmakers, shaped the material world of Frederick County, Virginia, in complex ways. The county developed along different economic fronts during the second half of the eighteenth century, reflective of the regions from which settlers arrived. Eastern Frederick County initially resembled the tobacco plantation economy of Tidewater Virginia, while the western end of the county was comprised of smaller, but interdependent Pennsylvania-derived farms. Woodworkers originally met the variable challenges of each area by adapting to the needs of their immediate clients, either directly on the plantation or within their respective communities. Cabinetmaking practices merged somewhat during the last quarter of the eighteenth century, first and foremost because of better and cheaper access to key resources and skilled labor. Improvements in the wheat and manufacture-based trade economy also unified the county, and centralized cabinetmakers in growing town centers like Winchester and Berryville, where they had the best chance at success. Based on numerous primary sources including wills and probate inventories, deeds from the Corporation of Winchester and Frederick County, genealogical information, census records, and object analysis, this thesis reconstructs the business, social, political, and religious ties that linked cabinetmakers with communities from the county's founding until about 1825."

"Business along the Blue Ridge : cabinetmaking in Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia, 1750-1825"@en
"Business along the Blue Ridge : cabinetmaking in Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia, 1750-1825"
"Business along the Blue Ridge cabinetmaking in Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia, 1750-1825"