NEW Arcadia Publishing Muscatine's Pearl Button Industry, IA 9780738550930 Image The Mississippi River town of Muscatine produced billions of pearl buttons. By 1905, Muscatine made 37 percent of the world's buttons and earned the title of "Pearl Button Capital of the World." The rise and fall of the pearl button occurred over a period of 75 years. John Frederick Boepple, a German immigrant button maker, launched the industry in 1891. The button and clamming industries started small but quickly overwhelmed the town. Clamming became the Mississippi River's gold rush while large automated factories and shell-cutting shops employed nearly half the local workforce. Entire families--men, women, and children--contributed to the industry, giving weight to the popular local saying "No Muscatine resident can enter Heaven without evidence of previous servitude in the button industry." Although the industry peaked in 1916, several decades passed before the American-made pearl button buckled under the pressure of foreign competition, changing fashion, limited availability of shell, and the development and refinement of plastic buttons. NEW Arcadia Publishing Muscatine's Pearl Button Industry, IA 9780738550930 Image The Mississippi River town of Muscatine produced billions of pearl buttons. By 1905, Muscatine made 37 percent of the world's buttons and earned the title of "Pearl Button Capital of the World." The rise and fall of the pearl button occurred over a period of 75 years. John Frederick Boepple, a German immigrant button maker, launched the industry in 1891. The button and clamming industries started small but quickly overwhelmed the town. Clamming became the Mississippi River's gold rush while large automated factories and shell-cutting shops employed nearly half the local workforce. Entire families--men, women, and children--contributed to the industry, giving weight to the popular local saying "No Muscatine resident can enter Heaven without evidence of previous servitude in the button industry." Although the industry peaked in 1916, several decades passed before the American-made pearl button buckled under the pressure of foreign competition, changing fashion, limited availability of shell, and the development and refinement of plastic buttons. &times Buy now and save! Tell a friend Watch now Postage info Click the Postage tab above the listing description for more info Click the Postage tab above the listing description for more info! Additional delivery notes PICK UP OPTION Sorry, our items are NOT available for pick-up. PAYING VIA PAYPAL We accept PayPal on our all our items so you can shop with confidence. Simple choose the PayPal option when proceeding through the checkout. Additional Information No additional information at this time Ask seller a question You might also like NEW Arcadia Publishing Baltimore in World War II, MD 9780738541891 Images of Ame NEW Arcadia Publishing Firefighting in Allegany County, MD 9780738541976 Images NEW Arcadia Publishing Washington, D.C. in Vintage Postcards, DC 9780738541570 P NEW Arcadia Publishing Early Salinas, CA 9780738529936 Images of America Trade P Contact To contact our Customer Service Team, simply click the button here and our Customer Service team will be happy to assist. Ask seller a question © Arcadia Publishing Postage Click the Postage tab above the listing description for more info Payment Accepted Payment Methods PayPal Returns Returns are accepted Items must be returned within 30 days of the auction ending Buyer will pay for return shipping. eBay integration by