For much of its history, the city of Fall River, Massachusetts has been defined by the rise and fall of its cotton textile industry. From its beginnings as a rural outpost of the Plymouth Colony, the city grew to become the largest textile producing center in the United States during the 19th century, with over one hundred mills in operation by 1920. Even with the demise of local textile productions during the 20th century, there remains a lasting legacy of its impact on the city.
The Metacomet Mill, built in 1847 by Colonel Richard Borden for the manufacture of cotton textiles, is the oldest remaining textile mill in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Narragansett Mills is an historic textile mill site located at 1567 North Main Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, United States. Built in 1872, it is a well-preserved example of a brick mill complex, somewhat unusual in a city where most of the mills are stone. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Stafford Mills is an historic textile mill complex located on County Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA. Founded in 1872, it is a well-preserved late-19th century textile complex, typical of the mills built in Fall River during its period of most rapid growth. It is noted in particular for its exceptionally fine Romanesque brick office building. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Sagamore Mills No. 1 and No. 3 are two historic textile mills on Ace Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Built in 1888 and 1908, they form part of one of the city's single largest textile operations of the late 19th century. Mills No. 1 and 3 were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, with a separate listing for Mill No. 2, located nearby on North Main Street.
Sagamore Mill No. 2 is an historic textile mill located at 1822 N. Main Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Built in 1881, it is the oldest surviving mill of three built by the Sagamore Mill Company, one of Fall River's largest textile operations. The mill complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Sanford Spinning Company is an historic mill complex located on Globe Mills Avenue in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, along with the adjacent Globe Yarn Mills #3.
Wampanoag Mills is a historic textile mill complex located at 420 Quequechan Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Built beginning in 1871, it is a large and well-preserved example of granite textile mill construction. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Oliver Chace's Thread Mill is an historic mill building at 505 Bay Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. It is the remains of a much larger complex. The small building was used as an office and later for storage.
Cornell Mills is an historic cotton textile mill on Alden Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Built in 1890, it is a well-preserved example of late 19th-century industrial mill architecture in stone. The mill complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. On February 26, 2016, a developer has bought the property with the intent to convert the mill into middle-class residential housing.
Foster Spinning Co. is an historic textile mill on Cove Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. The mill was built in 1916 from red brick and had a capacity of 13,312 spindles when built. It was the last new textile mill built in Fall River. Its buildings are not particularly architecturally distinctive, representing typical early-20th century mill construction, but the complex is relatively complete, including the original main mill, boiler house, smokestack, and wooden storage building. In 1920 the plant was enlarged, increasing its capacity to 25,000 spindles. The Foster Spinning Company operated on the premises until 1962.
Pilgrim Mills is an historic textile mill located at 847 Pleasant Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. The mill was built in 1911 from red brick and was the first mill in the city powered entirely by electricity, provided from the local grid. It was one of the last mill complexes built in the city. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Renfrew Mill No. 2 was a historic mill complex at 217 Columbia Street in Adams, Massachusetts. Most of its buildings were built between 1867 and 1878, and were brick buildings with Italianate styling. They were built by the Renfrew Manufacturing Company, a textile manufacturer, to replace an earlier complex further down Columbia Street that had been demolished. The property was acquired by the Arnold Print Works in 1928. The mill was the town's largest employer for much of the second half of the 19th century.
The Central Mills Historic District encompasses a historic mill complex on the Quinebaug River in central Southbridge, Massachusetts. Located at the corner of Foster and North Streets, the site consists of three brick buildings, the oldest of which has portions dating to 1837. Despite being extensively rebuilt in the early 20th century, the complex has an appearance that is more typical of 19th century mills.
The Wood Worsted Mill is located at South Union St. and Merrimack Street, on the south bank of the Merrimack River, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The mill building was constructed between 1906 and 1909 for the American Woolen Company, and was dubbed by some locals as the "eighth wonder of the world" due to its size. It is a six-story brick building that is 1,300 feet (400 m) long and 125 feet (38 m) high, and encompasses some 17 miles (27 km) of aisles. Its purpose when built was to perform the complete textile manufacturing cycle of worsted woolens, from raw material to finished fabric, under a single roof.
The Cocheco Mills are a historic mill complex in the heart of Dover, New Hampshire. The mills occupy a site at a bend in the Cocheco River that has been the site of industrial activity since at least 1822, when the Dover Cotton Factory was built there. The present mill buildings were built between the 1880s and the early 20th century, and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
The Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company Historic District encompasses a collection of former industrial buildings on the north side of the Nashua River in Nashua, New Hampshire. Located on Franklin and Front Streets west of Main Street, the complex was developed by the Nashua Gummed and Coated Paper Company, later the Nashua Corporation, beginning in the late 19th century. It was a major manufacturing and employment center for the city until mid-1990s, when the company's business declined. One of its former storehouses was converted to residences in the 2000s, and the main complex is, in 2015-16, undergoing the same process. The complex of surviving buildings was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
The Fitchburg Yarn Mill is an historic mill building at 1428 Main Street in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Built in 1907 and enlarged several times, it was one of the city's largest textile operations for over 60 years. The building is an important local work of Frank Sheldon, a noted industrial architect of the period. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
The Naushon Company Plant is a historic textile mill complex at 32 Meeting Street in Cumberland, Rhode Island. First built in 1902-04 and enlarged over time, it illustrates the adaption of the site to differing uses between then and the 1950s, when its use for textile manufacture ended. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
