Rivulet Mill Complex

Last updated
Rivulet Mill Complex
Rivulet Mill Complex, 1814, North Uxbridge, MA.JPG
RIvulet Mill Complex
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Built1866
Architectural styleItalianate
MPS Uxbridge MRA
NRHP reference No. 83004130 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 7, 1983

The Rivulet Mill Complex is an historic group of mill buildings located at 60 Rivulet Street, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, United States. It was originally built by Chandler Taft. Richard Sayles purchased the mill in 1864 and, after repairs, began the manufacture of shoddy, a yarn made from woolen scraps and used clothing. (Richard Sayles was a graduate of the Uxbridge Academy and his family was prominent in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.) In 1872 the original mill burned and was totally destroyed. Sayles and Zadok Taft rebuilt on site and continued the business under (later) the name of Sayles, Taft & Co. Later still, after Taft retired, the name became the Richard Sayles Mill. The mill was sold out of the Sayles family in 1910. It was operated by the Uxbridge Worsted Company until the mid-1950s. [2]

In October 1983 the complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places. [1]

1814 historic marker of RIvulet Mill Village, North Uxbridge Historic Marker, Rivulet Mill Complex, North Uxbridge, MA.jpg
1814 historic marker of RIvulet Mill Village, North Uxbridge

See also

Related Research Articles

Mendon, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census. Mendon is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, an early center of the industrial revolution in the United States. Mendon celebrated its 350th Anniversary on May 15, 2017.

Uxbridge, Massachusetts Town in Massachusetts, United States

Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located 36 mi (58 km) southwest of Boston and 15 mi (24 km) south-southeast of Worcester, at the midpoint of the Blackstone Valley National Historic Park. Uxbridge was a prominent Textile center in the American Industrial Revolution. Two local Quakers served as national leaders in the American anti-slavery movement. Uxbridge "weaves a tapestry of early America".

Bezaleel Taft Sr. was an American Revolutionary War soldier, Captain and American legislator from Uxbridge, Massachusetts.

Luke Taft was an industrial pioneer in the manufacture of woolens in 19th century New England.

Moses Taft

Moses Taft 2nd was born at Uxbridge, Massachusetts. He was significant as an early American Industrialist and financier in the historic Blackstone Valley, and a member of the famous Taft family.

Uxbridge Common District United States historic place

The Uxbridge Common District is located in downtown Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historic buildings in this district include the Uxbridge Academy, Uxbridge Free Public Library, the Deborah A. Wheelock House, a blacksmith shop, the First Congregational Church, and the Unitarian Church.

North Uxbridge, Massachusetts Village in Massachusetts, United States

North Uxbridge is a village and a post office in the town (township) of Uxbridge in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The postal zip code is 01538. It is classified as a community or populated place located at latitude 42.088 and longitude -71.641 and the elevation is 266 feet (81 m). North Uxbridge appears on the Uxbridge U.S. Geological Survey Map. Worcester County is in the Eastern time zone and observes DST. North Uxbridge is located about 36 miles WSW of Boston, and 15 miles SE of Worcester. The town meeting in 1885 set aside North Uxbridge as a "special district", since its population had exceeded 1000 people. North Uxbridge appeared to be a separate Census tract in the 1960 census with a population of 1882. In 2013, an Uxbridge DIY show, The Garage, with Steve Butler, went worldwide from Steve's garage in North Uxbridge.

Wheelockville, Massachusetts Village in Massachusetts, United States

Wheelockville is a village in the town (township) of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the village centering on Mendon and Henry streets is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Wheelockville Historic District. Wheelockville appears on the Blackstone U.S. Geological Survey Map. The Village receives municipal services from Uxbridge, for fire, police, EMS, School district, public works, and other services. Worcester's Judicial District includes Uxbridge District Court. The geography of Wheelockville includes several other distinct mill villages, including: Hecla and Elmdale.

Ironstone, Massachusetts Village in Massachusetts, United States

Ironstone is an historic village,, in the township of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, United States. It derived its name from plentiful bog iron found here which helped Uxbridge to become a center for three iron forges in the town's earliest settlement. South Uxbridge has historic sites, picturesque weddings, hospitality, industrial and distribution centers, and the new Uxbridge High School. This community borders North Smithfield, and Burrillville, Rhode Island, and Millville, Massachusetts. South Uxbridge receives municipal services from Uxbridge, for fire, police, EMS, School district, public works, and other services. There is a South Uxbridge fire station of the Uxbridge fire department. Worcester's Judicial District includes Uxbridge District Court. Ironstone appears on the Blackstone U.S. Geological Survey Map. Worcester County is in the Eastern time zone and observes DST.

Wheelockville District United States historic place

The Wheelockville District is an historic district located at Mendon and Henry streets in the village of Wheelockville in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It encompasses a collection of modest Federal and Greek Revival period worker housing, built primarily to house families of workers at the nearby Waucantuck Mill Complex. The oldest houses in the area were built c. 1825–35, and include cottages built by the mill owners. A second phase of growth between about 1860 and 1885 resulted in the construction of a number of buildings with vernacular Victorian elements, as well as the somewhat more ornate Italianate Wheelock House at 173 Mendon Street, which was built for a manager at another Uxbridge mill. The district runs roughly along Mendon Street from Hecla Street to the junction of Mendon and Henry Streets, and then along those two streets for about six houses.

Bazaleel Taft Jr. House and Law Office United States historic place

The Bazaleel Taft Jr. House and Law Office are a historic house and law office building at 195 North Main Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. On November 7, 1983, they were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The House and Law office reflect the Georgian Architecture Style.

Waucantuck Mill Complex United States historic place

The Waucantuck Mill Complex was a mill complex in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Despite its 2010 demolition, it is still listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original Luke Taft Mill, built in 1824, on the West River was very close to the present site of the Waucatuck Mill complex. The Waucantuck complex was planned for a condominium and retail complex, underway in 2009. Both are very close to and virtually part of the Wheelockville District, where the Stanley Woolen Mill was built in 1852. Wash and wear fabrics were first developed at this mill in the 20th century. Products were produced under the name of "Indian Head". In the 1960s the former holdings of American Woolen Company were eventually acquired by a company by that name in Uxbridge, MA. Originally the Uxbridge Worsted Company had proposed a buyout of American Woolen to become America's largest woolen conglomerate. The Town of Uxbridge was synonymous with the textile industry and its earliest and later developments.

Zadock Taft House United States historic place

The Zadock Taft House is a historic house at 115 South Main Street in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Probably built in the 18th century, it received its present Greek Revival styling in the 1840s or 1850s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Richard Sayles House United States historic place

The Richard Sayles House is an historic house at 80 Mendon Street, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It is a distinctive local example of Federal period architecture executed in granite. It is further notable has the home from about 1859 onward of Richard Sayles, a local mill worker, executive, and later owner. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 7, 1983.

The Taft family of the United States has historic origins in Massachusetts; its members have served Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, and the United States in various positions such as U.S. Representative (two), Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator (three), U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Secretary of War (two), President of the United States, and Chief Justice of the United States.

The West River, in the US state of Massachusetts, is a 13.4-mile-long (21.6 km) tributary of the Blackstone River.

The history of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1727, may be divided into its prehistory, its colonial history and its modern industrial history. Uxbridge is located on the Massachusetts-Rhode Island state line, and became a center of the earliest industrialized region in the United States.

Stanley Woolen Mill

Stanley Woolen Mill is the common historic name applied to a defunct company based in southeastern Massachusetts and to the company's buildings which stand at the southern entrance to the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park. The mill is an important footnote in the history of the textile industry in America. Stanley Woolen Mill is the centerpiece of the Central Woolen Mills District which is part of the National Historic Register.

Richard Mowry became an Uxbridge farmer, in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States who "successfully built and marketed equipment to manufacture woolen, linen or cotton cloth", from around the time of the Revolution.

Moses Taft House (Burrillville, Rhode Island) United States historic place

The Moses Taft House is a historic house at 111 East Wallum Lake Road in Burrillville, Rhode Island. The ​1 12-story side-gable Cape style house was built in 1786, and is a well-preserved example of early Federal architecture. It exhibits the typical five-bay facade, with the entry in the center bay, and a large central chimney. The house underwent a major restoration in the 2000s. Moses Taft, an early owner of the house, was a farmer and operated a nearby grist mill on the Clear River, with Seth Ross, who resided on Eagle Peak Road.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Rivulet Mill Complex". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-04-06.

Coordinates: 42°05′16″N71°38′40″W / 42.0878°N 71.6445°W / 42.0878; -71.6445