A young Bourne Spooner travelled to New Orleans during the War of 1812 and was employed in a rope-making factory that used Black slave labor. By the time he returned to his native Plymouth some years later, he was an avowed abolitionist. He conceived of and founded the Plymouth Cordage Company, ultimately Plymouth's largest employer for many years. The Cordage was well known for its enlightened treatment of their employees, providing benefits like subsidized housing, medical care, a library and kindergarten, and many social clubs.<br><br>The Plymouth Antiquarian Society maintains an extensive archive of Spooner family correspondence and also operates the <a href="https://plymouthantiquarian.org/historic-sites/spooner-house/" target="_blank">Spooner House Museum</a>