At Left: Wide view of front-left side of loom. The counterbalanced shedding system consists of a single roller, two shafts with string heddles, and two treadles. Note notched beater leg and wooden side rail rocker guide. At Right: Detail view view of rocker arrangement. Note iron spike in rocker platform. There is a corresponding hole in the bottom of the rocker that fits over the spike, keeping the rocker inplace while in motion. The loom was discovered in Herman, Missouri, a quaint village on the banks of the Missouri River. The town was founded in 1836 by the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia as a "Second Fatherland," and until WWII German was the only language taught in the public school system.

The loom was bought through an antique dealer and used for years in the Pelze Nichol Haus, a historic house which had been turned into a bed-and-breakfast establishment. In the original thesis this loom was refered to as "The Pelze Nichol Hause Loom." The house and furnishings have since been sold. A rocker beater loom enthusiast, from Virginia, saw the loom offered on E-Bay and was successful in buying it. She recently donated it to the Floyd County Historical Society, for use in their new museum. Floyd County Historical Society Return to Loom Photograph Index