MILFORD AMERICAN LINKS

This year celerates two hundred and fifty years of United States of America. And did you know Milford has a number of strong links with America!!

In 1850 Robert Garmany McCrum (1829-1915) went to America to study productivity. His aunt had already emigrated to America. R.G McCrumreturned created the celebrated linen manufacturing firm of McCrum, Watson & Mercer employing 1000 people n Milford and 750 in Gillis Mills Armagh. It had offices in Rome Madrid Paris, Msanchester etc. He built the model village of Milford including the Milford National School - held the record as best National School in Ireland 1860-70.

In fact R.G McCrum developed the linen firm at the right time. The civil war in America stiffled cotton industry causing need for linen. R.G McCrum created a separate business McCrum, Watson & Mercer in New York. His agent John Girwood (who he often disagreed with) later left wne went on to discover gold and built Salt Lake City!

In 1898 there was a scandal when R.G McCrum only son William McCrum (1865-1932) (the world famous inventor of penalty kick) wife Maud was implicated in the national newspapers as having affairs with various gentleman and implicated in court proceedings. It was such a big scandal that when R.G McCrum wrote to his New York agents about it, they had already heard of it. William stuck by his wife and went to Liverpool. The American agents advised R.G McCrum to make the firm a public liability firm on stock market. Thinking there was no one to take on the business he did. Sadly this would bring down the firm and the family fortunes in Wall Street crash of 1929

So without America there would be no Milford village, no linen firm and no Milford House!

And there are further connections to America... During the Second World War the American troops were stationed in the R.G McCrum Institute in the village. Glenn Miller performed there secretly for them shortly before his plane disappeared.