mill

Little Red Shop // c. 1843

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The area that is now the town of Hopedale, Massachusetts, was originally known simply as the “Dale,” a small, secluded agricultural area between Mendon and Milford, that beginning in 1842, was home to a communal Christian society called “Hopedale Community.” The communal agricultural and manufacturing society that eventually acquired over 600 acres  and numbered more than 300 members at its peak before ultimately failing in 1856 due to socioeconomic inequalities and bankruptcy resulting from conflicts between its ideology and business organization.  In that same year, the assets of Hopedale Community were purchased by the E.D. and G. Draper Company, led by Ebenezer and George Draper, who were the operators of Hopedale Community’s most successful manufacturing enterprise, textile machinery manufacturing. The Drapers had previously shared space in this old machine shop, which dates to around 1843, alongside fellow community workers who made hat and shoe boxes, sawed lumber, and ran an iron forge. As the Drapers founded the Draper Corporation, which became the largest maker of power looms for the textile industry in the United States, they never lost sight of their beginnings and preserved this building, which became known as the Little Red Shop. To preserve the building, it was moved four times in its life, to allow for the growth of the company factories, eventually being placed in its current location on town parkland, where it now houses a collection of Draper textile machinery as the Little Red Shop Museum. The Little Red Stop is just one story with nine bays and is vernacular in style, with its notable decorative feature being the metal weathervane mounted at the roof over an elaborate saw-cut wooden base. 

Warren Manufacturing Company Mill // 1896

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No single company had a greater impact on the town of Warren in the 19″ century than the Warren Manufacturing Company. The company built, expanded and rebuilt major mill buildings, established new streets in town, and provided mill housing for its workers, both native-born residents and immigrants who enlivened the community building new churches and housing. The company was founded in 1847, as whaling and shipping declined in Warren prior to the Civil War. Wealthy manufacturers and investors with ties to the South turned to textile manufacturing. The newly established company built three mills in the 19th century, all of which burned to the ground in a massive fire in 1895. A year later, in 1896, The Warren Manufacturing Company rebuilt this brick mill which features a handsome Romanesque tower with open belfry and brick corbelling, with a repeated pattern of pier-spandrel-and-arch construction running down the elongated facade. After the company closed, the building was occupied by the American Tourister Company, a luggage manufacturer. In 2015, the building was awarded federal and state preservation grants, and restored and adaptively reused as apartments, today known as Tourister Mill.

Pawtucket Hair Cloth Mill //1864

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Despite its name, this handsome mill structure, known as the Pawtucket Hair Cloth Mill, is actually located in Central Falls, Rhode Island. The building, located on Roosevelt Avenue on the banks of the Blackstone River, is a great example of a Civil War-era mill, built for one of the many wool and cloth companies in New England. Begun in a small factory across the street in 1856, this business became successful after the acquisition of patents for weaving haircloth (most of the raw material for which originally came from Russian horse markets) for upholstery, crinolines, and inner linings. The company is said to have once been the largest producer of haircloth in the world. The Italianate style mill stands pretty much as built, besides the tower that has lost its low pyramidal cap. The building was one of the first commissions by great Rhode Island architect, William Walker, who was just 34 at the time of designing this large, and complicated structure.

Kennedy-Stafford Mill // 1825

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One of the oldest mills in Central Falls, Rhode Island, is this four-story brick building constructed in 1825 is important as one of the earliest extant brick mills in Rhode Island, at a time when such buildings were shifting from wood construction to fire-proof brick or stone construction. Built on one of the first industrial sites in the city, along the Blackstone River, the mill was originally constructed for a John Kennedy as a cotton manufactory. The complex was purchased and expanded in the 1860s by the Stafford Manufacturing Company, who built a new dam on the river and extension to the 1825 building. The structure features a five-story square end tower with freight doors, and a monitor roof which runs the span of the original 1825 building, terminating where the Stafford Company addition begins. Originally, canals flowed directly under the building, powering the building and three mills downstream, but they were filled in by 1965. Elizabeth Webbing started in the Kennedy/Stafford mill buildings in 1933. After over 70 years of making cloth straps used for seat belts, dog collars, luggage straps and more, it ceased operations in March of 2001. The complex, which included 19 nearby mill buildings, was split up and sold off. In 2007 work began on converting the former mill to residential use with the first phase of the project opening to tenants in 2009. It’s another great example of adaptive reuse into housing, the best type of project!

Valley Falls Mill // 1849

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The Valley Falls Mill sits along the Blackstone River in Central Falls, Rhode Island, and is one of the many significant industrial complexes which facilitated the development and growth of the city. The main building in the complex is the four-story rectangular building, constructed in 1849. To meet the requirements of fire resistance, the mill was constructed with load-bearing brick walls and heavy timber columns. Samuel B. and Harvey Chace, sons of Fall River mill owner Oliver Chace, built the mill on this site, influenced not only by the availability of water power, but also by the completion the same year of the Providence & Worcester Railroad, which passes by the mill on its east side. The mill was designed for the manufacture of a variety of cotton products. The Valley Falls Company merged with another industrial concern in 1929, and this mill was subsequently closed the following year. After decades of little-to-no use, the significant Valley Falls Mill was converted into senior housing in 1979 following its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. It ranks as one of the earliest mill conversion projects in New England and while some details were lost, it preserves a significant piece of local history and meets a much-needed demand of housing.

Fales & Jenks Mill // 1863

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One of the largest mills in Central Falls, Rhode Island, is this complex tucked away on Foundry Street. Constructed in phases beginning in 1863, the site was originally owned by the firm of Fales & Jenks, manufacturers, and it was the first major factory in the town to not be built on a river, but on the railroad, showcasing a shift in the transportation of goods along with the increasing availability of steam power, relieving mill owners from having to build on the rivers. Fales & Jenks manufactured textile machinery here for just a few years until they moved to Pawtucket, and the complex was purchased by A. & W. Sprague in 1865 and after slight enlargement, was used as a flax mill until the Spragues’ failure in 1873. In the late 19th century, the mill was occupied by the U.S. Cotton Company. The oldest buildings are brick with granite lintels under a monitor roof. Later additions include a massive brick factory with a tower with castellated parapet. The small, two-story gable-roofed building at the corner was the mill office. The complex is today owned and maintained by the Murdock Webbing Company.

Dwight Manufacturing Company Complex // 1841+

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The Dwight Manufacturing Company is named for Edmund Dwight (1780-1849) of Boston, an industrialist who envisioned an industrial town on the Chicopee River. Dwight, having a country home in Chicopee, had begun a venture with his brother, Jonathan, at Chicopee Falls creating the Chicopee Manufacturing Company, to produce cotton cloth. Due to the company’s immediate success, the Dwights along with other investors formed the Springfield Canal Company in 1831, with the goal to create the “new Lowell”, an industrial community in what is now Chicopee Center. In 1856, the Dwight Mills purchased some earlier mill complexes, creating the Dwight Manufacturing Company and consolidating all their cotton cloth manufacturing into one organization. In addition to the mills, the Company also built employee housing
along Depot and Dwight Streets, a stone’s throw from the mills. The creation of employee housing allowed the Company to attract new employees in particular women and children, nearly all immigrants, who could be housed together. My favorite part of the complex is the entrance gate, built in 1894, connecting the Office and Cloth Building. It is amazing to think of all of the people who passed through this portal, working long hours for a better life. Overtime as production methods changed and technology evolved, nearly all the original mills would be replaced or retrofitted. Despite the changes, the Company could not remain profitable and shut down production in 1927 and ultimately selling the land and equipment in 1930. Some smaller manufacturing has since occupied some of these buildings, but they remain largely (if not entirely) vacant, awaiting a new life.

Former Columbian Cotton Mill // 1864

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While New Ipswich, New Hampshire, is best known for its early Georgian and Federal period architecture, the small town is home to Warwick Mills, the site of the oldest textile mill in the state. Originally built circa 1807, the mills here burned down two times and were rebuilt a third time using brick; that third iteration is the building seen today. The brick for the building was forged on site and was finished in 1864, with signatures on the beams by craftsmen as far south as Baltimore. The mill was home to the Columbian Mill Company, who created textiles from cotton and other materials in the building, becoming a leading employer in the region. The building is now known as the Warwick Mill, and is an active manufacturing complex, making many contemporary and high-quality materials for 21st century clothing. The buildings exhibit stunning corbel detailing.

Former Sheffield Mill // 1887

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The former Sheffield Mill is historically and architecturally significant as one of the last remaining large-scale manufacturing complex to survive in the village of Saugerties, New York. The building was constructed in 1887 as the J. B. Sheffield Paper Company and was used for the manufacturing of envelopes and bank bookbinding. In the 1930s, the building was purchased by the Knaust Brothers, who grew and harvested mushrooms in nearby towns, making mushroom beds or trays in this building. The Knaust Brothers were at one time, one of the largest firms growing and canning mushrooms in the world. The former mill was vacant by the late 20th century and its future was uncertain until it was renovated at the turn of the present century into senior housing. What a great rebirth of a great old mill!

Peep Toad Mill // c.1850

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The Peep Toad Mill (also known as the Elliottville Lower Mill) was built in Killingly, Connecticut, around 1850 by the Elliottville Manufacturing Company, whose larger main mill was upstream from this complex. The Elliottville Manufacturing Company was formed in the 1830s and later acquired by Albert Elliott and Nelson Eddy, who expanded operations here. This structure, the lower Mill was used for spinning and preparing the warps for cotton sheetings, the firm’s principal product. In 1870, the two mills employed 18 women, 18 children and 13 men. The business closed in the 1880s, and the building was vacant for some time before being converted to a residence and artist studio. The old mill is a rare surviving example of a wood-frame textile mill, many of which were built but few of which survive, due to fires and/or later expansion of the premises. The present owners have done an amazing job restoring and maintaining this rare treasure!

Hawkins Company Factory // 1866

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The Hawkins Company was originally organized by Ira L. Hawkins for the manufacture of tacks, buttons, and other metal specialties. The firm appears to have begun operations in Waterbury, Connecticut around 1890 acquired control of the former Blake, Lamb and Company, an animal trap manufacturer established in Waterbury during the mid-19th century. In 1899, Hawkins purchased this four-story woolen mill located in the South Britain section of Southbury that had formerly been operated by the Bradley and Hoyt Company. All of the Hawkins Company’s operations were moved to this plant c. 1900. Production of animal traps quickly became the primary focus of the Hawkins Company and the former Bradley and Hoyt Company mill was enlarged in several phases in order to accommodate demand. The Hawkins Company eventually closed its doors during the late 1960s. The building has been recently painted and maintained well, but it is unclear to me what it is used for, anyone know more?

Cragin-Frye-Savage Mill // 1858

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There’s not much that is more picturesque and stereotypical New Hampshire than old, wooden mill buildings. When I was looking for a town to explore in NH, I got stuck on a photograph of the old Cragin-Frye Mill in Wilton, and off I went! Daniel Cragin (1836-1921) was born in Merrimack, NH of Scottish descent. In 1856, age 21, he rented a room in a woolen goods mill, and he built knife trays and wooden toys which he turned into a business. He started his business with ten dollars, and turned a profit from the beginning, so much so that by 1858, he accumulated enough money to purchase a nearby existing building for his own operation. The mill was water-powered and grew quickly. The Daniel Cragin Mill began production of sugar boxes and dry measure boxes. The mill closed briefly after Cragin retired in the early 20th century. In 1909, Whitney Morse Frye and his father, Dr. Edmund Bailey Frye, bought the mill from Cragin. Frye continued the Cragin line of wooden trays, boxes, and pails in addition to his normal processing of grains. Whitney Frye died in 1961, and his employee, Harland Savage Sr. purchased the old mill, continuing operations. After his retirement in 1981, his son Harley and his wife Pam Porter Savage took over operations and they have operated the mill to the present day as Frye’s Measure Mill. The mill is one of a few remaining operating water-powered measure mills in the United States!

Colony-Abbott Worsted Mill // 1882

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The site along the southern bank of the Souhegan River in East Wilton, NH has been the location of successive mills since 1814. These wooden mills were wiped out by fire, and the land was vacant until 1882, when members of the mill-owning Colony family of Keene, NH bought the site for a new cotton mill. That year they built a three-story brick mill building atop a raised basement level. Colony Bros., the company, began their manufacturing in early 1883. They produced woolen flannel and other woolen goods and employed 70 workers in the factory. The building was powered by steam and water from the adjacent Souhegan River. In 1894, the Colony Bros. mill passed into the hands of Philip Amidon, who formed the Wilton Woolen Company, who produced everything from traditional woolen goods to the finest cashmere. In 1932, the struggling mill was purchased by the Abbotts, owners of two local mills and others in Massachusetts. Abbott Worsted produced a very fine finished cloth, with much of their product going to New York City where it was made into fine men’s suits. The building was later purchased in 1971 by Leonard Peterson, to house his growing company, Label Art. The company has for many years been a nationwide distributor of pressure sensitive labels. Their occupancy likely saved the buildings from the wrecking ball, like so many others did at the time!

Oh, and how cute is the 1885 office for the mill?! The date is found in the brickwork!

Lapham Woolen Mill // 1879

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I have gotten a lot of requests recently to feature an old New England mill town, and I wanted to highlight a lesser-known one, so here is Millbury, Massachusetts! This gorgeous mill building was constructed between 1879-1919, impacted by over forty years of growth and design. The Lapham Woolen Mill is the largest and most intact 19th century industrial building in Millbury and sits in the middle of Bramanville, an industrial village in the town, off Singletary Brook, a branch of the Blackstone River. The Lapham Woolen Mill was built on the location of the former Burbank paper mills, which were in operation in Bramanville between 1775-1836. The Lapham Woolen Mill was started in the mid-1870s by Mowry A. Lapham, who oversaw the company’s growth after the Civil War, manufacturing clothing and other woolen goods. After Mowry’s death, the company’s pollution into the brook got the best of them and they disbanded, selling it. The mill was then purchased by Josiah and Edward Mayo, and their business partner Thomas Curtis. The group renamed the existing business the Mayo Woolen Company. The complex was occupied by Steelcraft Inc., a manufacturer of medical supplies, until recently. The building’s future was threatened until 2020, when a proposal to restore the old mill, and add new housing on the site was proposed. Fingers and toes are crossed to see this gorgeous building restored!

Dexter Richards and Sons Woolen Mill // 1905

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The Dexter Richards and Sons Woolen Mill is the last surviving textile mill in Newport, New Hampshire. It was one of the city’s largest and most successful industries and employers. Built in 1905 on the banks of the Sugar River – which supported industrial activity as early as 1768 – the mill reflects the evolution of water-powered mills throughout the city and the region for more than a century. Designed by Peterborough native Edward A. Buss, Richards Woolen Mill is a typical three-story brick mill building from the early 20th century with granite, brick and metal architectural flourishes; it stands out for its five-story Romanesque tower with three tall arched windows on each side. At the base of the tower, above the entrance, are two slate roundels with the dates “1848” and “1905,” marking when both a previous mill on the site and the existing mill were built. In addition to running the mill, the Richards family was instrumental in establishing the Newport Electric Company (1892) and brought both Western Union Telegraph service (1866) and the Concord & Claremont Railroad (1871) to Newport. Richards and Sons, Inc. dissolved in 1926. The property was purchased by Harry W. Brown and Associates and was renamed the Gordon Woolen Mill. That business made wool linings for Army clothing during World War II. The mill was later owned by William Ruger Jr. an heir to the Ruger Firearms Company. Within the last couple years, the mill was purchased for redevelopment into housing, which has not yet materialized.