By the late 18th century most middle-class American houses had cheap 'Scotch' carpeting (Lear letter, 1790)

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Research notes

The National Park Service's furnishings history of Independence Hall says that by the last quarter of the 18th century a majority of middle-class houses had inexpensive Scotch carpeting, floorcloths or straw mats, and quotes Tobias Lear writing for George Washington in 1790 that 'Scotch Carpeting is almost the only kind to be found here in New York'. The same chapter says Brussels and Wilton reached America in the 1750s (see existing record nps-wilton-america). Why it matters: imported loom-woven flat carpet was the everyday floor covering before American mills existed. Single source. Sources: https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/inde/anderson/chap2.htm Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened. Link note (Oct 2026): the National Park Service moved its online books and this chapter now redirects to a general page. The link is now the Internet Archive's copy of 6 Feb 2025; the original address was https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/inde/anderson/chap2.htm.