Made In America Stories

Knitting Novelty Socks   by Diana Lambdin Meyer
As a fifth-grade teacher in Helmsburg, Ind., Sharon Rivenbark was determined to create ways to help her students learn, feel good about themselves and become successful.

Crafting Classic Watercraft   by Virginia Wright
Workers pour buckets of red thermoplastic powder into kayak-shaped molds, preparing them for the 20-foot-long cylindrical oven at Old Town Canoe Co. in Old Town, Maine (pop. 8,130).

Animating Time, Inspiring Smiles   by Marti Attoun
When the Kit-Cat Klock debuted in 1932, its wide grin, rolling eyes and wagging tail brought a moment of joy to Depression-weary Americans.

Preserving Pinball   by Marti Attoun
Lonnie Ropp pulls back the spring-loaded plunger on a pinball machine parked beside his desk at Stern Pinball in Melrose Park, Ill.

Customizing Billiard Tables   by Margaret Schroeder
Today, the A.E. Schmidt Billiard Co. is the oldest family-owned billiard table manufacturer in the nation.

Making MoonPies   by Nancy Henderson
Inside Chattanooga (Tenn.) Bakery, a legendary snack comes to life as thin circles of dough enter an oversized oven and leave three and a half minutes later as cookies.

Ringing for Generations   by Lori B. Murray
The thunderous sound of ringing bells echoes through the Verdin Co.'s 130,000-square-foot factory in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Juicing Apples for Generations   by Marti Attoun
Clyde's is the oldest producer of hard cider in the United States and operates the nation's last steam-powered cider mill.

Fashioning Seed into Bird Feed   by Cynthia Elyce Rubin
From a perch in bushes surrounding her farmhouse, Ann Hoffert watches a flock of warblers as they fly across the open prairie against a clear, blue sky.

Perfecting Pipe Organs   by Vivian Wagner
Stephen Leslie, 55, drills a small hole in the end of a slender metal pipe at Schantz Organ Co. in Orrville, Ohio (pop. 8,485).

The Write Stuff   by Nancy Henderson
The sweet aroma of cedar fills the Sanford pencil factory in Lewisburg, Tenn., as a machine etches tiny grooves in pamphlet-size cedar slats.

Shaping Legendary Surfboards   by Elisabeth Deffner
Ankle deep in foam planed from the surface of a 7-foot plank at the Becker Surf factory in Hermosa Beach, Calif. , Jose Barahona, 41, pulls a dust mask from his face

Producing Locks Since Lincoln   by Vivian Wagner
Using a machine that slices through metal, workers cut long brass bars into lock-shaped pieces at the Wilson Bohannan Padlock Co. factory in Marion, Ohio (pop. 36,494)

Making Easter Sweeter   by Marti Attoun
At 10, Devon Flesor felt like a big shot when her parents let her skip school and make chocolate Easter bunnies at Flesor’s Candy Kitchen in Tuscola, Ill. (pop. 4,448).

Hats off to Stormy Kromer   by Steve Lange
In 2001, Bob Jacquart was drinking his morning coffee at a restaurant in Ironwood, Mich. (pop. 6,293), when he heard that the Kromer Cap Co., after more than a century, had stopped producing its classic winter hat.

A Sweet Legacy   by Diana Lambdin Meyer
Tom Ward respectfully disagrees with Forrest Gump’s mother, who offered up the famous advice: “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

Hooking with Heart   by Barbara Elmore
Carrying on a handiwork tradition that almost died out with her grandmothers, Quicksall had to learn the skill from books because she couldn’t find anyone around to show her how to turn bags of rags into beautiful, handmade floor coverings.

Auto Dreams   by Richard McVey
The auctioneer barks out escalating bids, pointing at the rare prize—a one-of-a-kind 1970 Plymouth ’Cuda convertible—parked center stage with television cameras focused on its radiant orange, polished-to-perfection paint job.

Making Baking a Jiffy   by Marti Attoun
When Mabel White Holmes saw the hard-as-rock biscuits that a single father had baked for his sons in 1928, she set about finding a fix.

Poinsettia Ranch   by Marta W. Aldrich
Paul Ecke III drives his pickup truck north on Interstate 5 in southern California, recalling the sea of poinsettias that once covered thousands of sun-splashed acres farmed by his family when he was growing up in San Diego County in the 1960s.