A Clean Sweep: The History and Crafting of Brooms

People everywhere in the world have used brooms for centuries to sweep caves, cabins and castles, to sweep bedrooms, ballrooms and barns. People found whatever was available: brush, thin twigs, straw and even corn husks were tied to a handle and used to sweep dirt from the floor and ashes from the hearth. These crude brooms were the kind used in New England and elsewhere in America until 1797 when Levi Dickinson, a farmer in Hadley, Massachusetts, grew broom corn and invented tools and equipment to make a sturdy, long-lasting broom. Come to the History Workshop and learn all about brooms, and broom making.  See our crop of broom corn, sweep with a hand-made broom and make a small, serviceable whisk broom to take with you.