(Not Open Anymore – But a Great Store to Remember)
Marysvale Working Loom Museum
Ron and Glenda Bushman
And as a bonus you get to meet Marysvale. |
Cougar Country |
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| In the local gift shop and gas station, lies a hidden treat. A well prepared specimen of what waits for you if you get too far off the beaten path. | ||
Abandoned Mines |
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| They thought there was gold in the hills above Marysvale. You probably won’t get to see this wonderful mine unless you have a fourwheel drive, but I thought you might like to see it anyway. The mines fed Marysvale, making it a town of over 2,000 people, with newspapers, movie theaters and its own railhead. Today, just ghosts a small number of townspeople call Marysvale home. | ||
Welcome to Marysvale |
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| It is my favorite sign in southern Utah, I hope you find it as inviting as I did. | ||
| The Rag Rug StoryLizzie and Charlie’s was established in 1929 by Elizabeth Sharp Wilcox Christensen (Lizzie) and Karl Christian Christensen (Charlie). In 1894, 11-year-old Charlie immigrated to Utah from Denmark where he had been apprenticed weaving rugs. When he grew up he started a weaving shop of his own, involving his wife and eventually his children.The fledgling shop expanded in 1934 when Charlie bought the building where the factory now stands. It operated here until his death.
Lizzie and Charlie made rugs for many years, and passed the art down to their children, and their children. Ron Bushman, Charlie’s grandson, has been weaving since 1960. He and his wife, Glenda Heaps Bushman, own the shop. Ester Tomney, eldest daughter of Lizzie and Charlie, and Ron’s mother, still gives direction and guidance. Ron recently restored the building from which the rug factory operated from 1934 until Charlie’s death. The company now has eight antique looms as well as space for a quilting room and crafts display area. Each loom is set up with different colors and widths of material, making it possible to create a variety of hand-crafted rugs, all made from the best all-new materials. This gives Ron and Glenda ample reason to be proud of their slogan, We still make them like we used to. Lizzie and Charlie’s, operating as a working museum, offers free demonstrations from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. |