SPOTLIGHT: The Boom and Bust of the Silk Industry in Connecticut
In the 1830’s, Connecticut farmer Elder Sharp rejected an offer of $450 to purchase a quarter share of his $50 mulberry tree. Within months, the tree was worthless. Sharp, of North Windham, was just one of many Nutmeggers caught up in the silkworm craze that at one time promised fortune and prosperity. Tens of thousands of cultivated mulberry trees were planted across the state’s landscape, according to author Bob Wyss, at connecticuthistory.org. The industry, however, ended suddenly, leaving a legacy of invasive species known to “escape from cultivation.”
