Electric blanket

Object/Artifact

-

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Electric blanket

Entry/Object ID

2024.19.1

Description

Twin size light blue Sunbeam Enchantment Automatic Blanket in its original vinyl zippered package and with its interior paper label.

Made/Created

Date made

1980 - 1990

Dimensions

Height

7 in

Width

15 in

Depth

12 in

Materials

Material Notes

vinyl, acrylic, nylon, paper

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

In 1971, the Florida-based Sunbeam Corporation purchased the WestPoint Pepperell blanket division buildings and machinery and formed the Biddeford Textile Company. The factory wove the blanket shells for Sunbeam’s electric blankets; the controls and wiring were manufactured elsewhere. The mill remained in production under several different owners until 2003, when the last owner, Taiwan-based Microlife Corporation, announced they were closing the factory. Two hundred people lost their jobs.