At the end of the summer in 2015, Pat Laskey, a Carlisle resident and former antique dealer, donated to the Historical Society a handmade rug loom, whose pieces had resided in her garage and attic for nearly 40 years.  It is an imposing piece, around six feet high with a footprint of five by six feet.  Pat had acquired it from a woman who had an antique shop across the street from what is now Fern’s, and her supposition was that it probably dated from the 18th Century and was made and used somewhere in New England.  Nancy Kronenberg, also a Carlisle resident, an avid professional weaver and member of the Weavers’ Guild of Boston, was greatly intrigued by the loom and launched her own investigation with friends and acquaintances from the Guild.  Their investigation concluded the loom’s design design is typical of the northern Acadia which includes Maine.  They call this French Canadian Acadia to distinguish from Lousiania Acadia.  It was built in the early part of the 19th Century, and that it was not primarily used for weaving rugs but also was used for weaving cloth.

 Nancy has undertaken the task of restoring the loom to working order.  Besides cleaning up the loom’s accumulation of grime and dust, which diminish its usefulness for new work, she has initiated construction of missing pieces, a project undertaken by Stephen Till, also a Carlisle resident, using old-growth pine to match the rest of the loom, and set about finding usable components that have survived from the presumable time that the loom was originally built.  A few parts must be replaced because the existing parts are warped or broken, but the old parts will be retained for display along with the restored loom.  Nancy has taken multiple photos and kept careful records of her conversations with other weaver, all of which are on display on her website, Rosepath Weaving.  You can access more information and photos by clicking this link. Carlisle Historical Society Antique Loom Project