Nashawannuck Mills Historic District

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Nashawannuck Mills Historic District
EasthamptonMA NashawannuckMill.jpg
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Location 1-15 Cottage Street, Easthampton, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°15′57″N72°40′2″W / 42.26583°N 72.66722°W / 42.26583; -72.66722 Coordinates: 42°15′57″N72°40′2″W / 42.26583°N 72.66722°W / 42.26583; -72.66722
Area 4.4 acres (1.8 ha)
Built 1848 (1848)
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Other
NRHP reference # 15000001 [1]
Added to NRHP February 12, 2015

The Nashawannuck Mills Historic District of Easthampton, Massachusetts encompasses a 19th-century industrial complex on Cottage Street in the heart of the town. Most of the connected series of brick buildings were built between about 1848 and 1870, although the facilities were used for industrial purposes until 1970. The oldest building erected was by Samuel Williston for a button factory. Powered by a dam that impounded Bound Brook, the facility expanded in both size and function, eventually becoming a major producer of elastic fabrics for goods such as suspenders and webbing. The industrial works were the major economic engine in Easthampton into the 20th century. [2] The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. [1]

Easthampton, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is on the southeastern edge of the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,053 at the 2010 census.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

Samuel Williston, a native of Easthampton, began the manufacture of buttons as a cottage industry in the town in 1826. In 1847, he and business partners opened a button-making factory on Union Street, damming Bound Brook to use its power. The dam was eventually paged over to make Cottage Street. He eventually sold that business, and in 1850 opened a business manufacturing suspenders that was at first called the Williston Elastic Suspender Company, but was later renamed the Nashawannuck Manufacturing Company. This company built Building 10, the oldest in the complex. The company was highly successful, and by 1865 was Easthampton's largest employer. Williston expanded his businesses to include the manufacture of elastic webbing, and rubber parts for shoes, capitalizing in part on patent rights to the Goodyear rubber vulcanizing process. In 1862, that business began construction on an adjacent complex. These two businesses were combined in 1912 into single entity, and their industrial complexes were interconnected. The facilities were damaged by flooding in 1955 caused by Hurricane Diane, with the dam requiring repairs, and one of the buildings reconstructed. [2]

Hurricane Diane Category 2 Atlantic hurricane in 1955

Hurricane Diane was the costliest Atlantic hurricane of its time, causing $813.7 million in damage. The inclusion of loss of business and personal revenue increased the total to over $1 billion. One of three hurricanes to hit North Carolina during the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season, it formed on August 7 from a tropical wave between the Lesser Antilles and Cape Verde. Diane initially moved west-northwestward with little change in its intensity, but began to strengthen rapidly after turning to the north-northeast. On August 12, the hurricane reached peak sustained winds of 105 mph (165 km/h), making it a Category 2 hurricane. Gradually weakening after veering back west, Diane made landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina, as a strong tropical storm on August 17, just five days after Hurricane Connie struck near the same area. Diane weakened further after moving inland, at which point the United States Weather Bureau noted a decreased threat of further destruction. The storm turned to the northeast, and warm waters from the Atlantic Ocean helped produce record rainfall across the northeastern United States. On August 19, Diane emerged into the Atlantic Ocean southeast of New York City, becoming extratropical two days later and completely dissipating by August 23.

The elastics business closed in 1970. Portions of the mill complex were used by other industrial concerns, while one side of the complex was given to Riverside Industries (RSI), a nonprofit providing work environment for disabled individuals. RSI continues to own part of the complex, leasing portions out to light industry and an artists cooperative. [2]

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, Massachusetts Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, Massachusetts.

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