RUGNEWS.COM COMMENTARY:
THE PATRIOTIC RUG TRADITION

By Lissa Wyman

The patriotic Liberty rug described in the above article about  Restoration by Costikyan was perhaps the first commemorative rug woven by The Shuttleworth Brothers Factory in Amsterdam, NY.

It certainly was not the last.

In 1976, Mohawk Carpet Mills' Alexander Smith division designed  the  "1776 Rug" to commemorate the United States Bicentennial year. The rugs were Axminster-woven in Amsterdam, NY by Mohawk Carpet Mills, the corporate entity which included the former Shuttleworth Brothers Factory. In fact, the Shuttleworth family was still the majority shareholder of that company.

Mohawk wove several thousand of the 5x8 rugs. Many of the rugs were presented to State Governors, Senators, city Mayors and various other dignitaries and big shots. Retailers also hung them in store windows to honor the year-long Bicentennial festivities and they were also offered for sale to consumers.

I was a recipient of one of those beauties. It hung for many years over a staircase in my apartment in New York. I finally begged my husband to take it down circa 1986, when I could safely assume that no one involved with the rug would visit my home looking for the evidence. It then went to a storage closet and disappeared around the time we moved to Dalton, Ga. in 1993.

Back in 1976, I was the managing editor of Floor Covering Weekly and we were expected to run stories and pictures of ceremonies presenting the "1776 Rug" to local dignitaries.

I can now tell the world that the "1776 Rug," was possibly the ugliest piece of textiles it has ever been my misfortune to view. After the 50th press release and publicity photo showing a Mohawk Carpet retailer, a Mohawk executive and the mayor of some two-bit burg, I was ready to scream for mercy. Fortunately, I was a heavy drinker at the time, so that helped.

Dang - now that I really need it - I can't find an image of that rug. Words are inadequate to describe it: The background of the rug was an unfurled American flag. Landing on the flag was a really eagle-eyed American Eagle, wings spread and clutching a mean-looking bunch of arrows. It had to be hung, of course. Walking on it risked being charged with Desecration of The Flag.

How I long to see it once more! If any one of you old-timers out there has a picture of that rug, please send it to lwyman@rugnews.com We would also like to hear stories about other commemorative rugs made through the years.

Here's a little history on corporate America: Mohawk Industries traces its roots to 1878 when four Shuttleworth Brothers founded a rug manufacturing company in Amsterdam, NY. The company grew and prospered and survived as one of the "old line" carpet weavers to successfully transition to machine tufting.

 In the 1970's, the company became Mohasco, a publicly owned company that eventually had multiple divisions involved in both furniture and rug and carpet manufacturing. Mohawk, Alexander Smith and Firth were the premier brands.

After hard times in the 1980's, the company moved from Amsterdam, NY,  to Atlanta  in the early 1990's and became Mohawk Industries. Mohawk Industries is now one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of all types of floor coverings.

To read the Costikyan article on the restoration of the Woodrow Wilson Liberty rug, click here.

11.19.09