Creating a Model Factory Town
Name of the town: Razeford
Company Name: Marshal Mills
Resources available: coal, cotton, trees/wood, wheat, potatoes.
Elements of the town: cotton mill, boarding houses, commoner houses shops/stands, farms, mines.
Population: 564
Explanation / Brief History: Razeford is a small factory town, located in Western England, that revolves around its cotton mill: Marshal Mills. Most of Razeford’s population is made up of workers in the mill or the shops around it. The rest of the population are those who live on the farms and sell their crops for a living. The mill is like the heart of the town, you can hear the machines running all day like a heartbeat in contrast to nights which are filled with silence. Before the Industrial Revolution hit, Razeford was just an average farm town with even less people, but with the new technology came more people and more opportunities for the town.
Media Fluency Reflection
A. How was the ease of access in building the town, and what software did you use specifically?
The software I used to build my town was Minecraft. I found it quite easy to work with as I have been playing Minecraft for quite a while so I am familiar with it.
B. Were you able to apply the skills you learned in the planning stages appropriately to a digital environment?
I believe I was able to apply the skills from the planning stage, these skills made it easier to work and made dealing with the digital environment very simple.
C. What were the sources you researched that made this an “authentic make-believe” town?
My main source of information was Lyddie as there were some very clear descriptions of what factory towns look like. I also used History.com as this article gave me some helpful images and information on real factory towns.
This is the History.com article I used to research:
https://www.history.com/news/5-famous-company-towns
D. Is there other software online that could have done the job better? Explain.
From my research I found Minecraft to be the best software for me as I am familiar with it and it is in 3D so it is easy for me to visualize. Although I believe Minecraft was best for me I am sure there is a website or software out there that could have done a better job. For example, maybe a software that had exact measurements so my factory town could be to scale.