SIAHST_141014_205
Existing comment:
Iron factory gates
until 1870
from the Dobson Textile Mile, Philadelphia

In the 1800s many Americans found jobs in factories where they experienced new forms of managerial control over their work. In the quest for increased productivity, factory owners attempted to regulate their workers. They erected gates and fences not just to protect property but also to keep employees on the property during the workday and to catch late arrivals.
Proposed user comment: