Wampanoag Mills | |
Location | 420 Quequechan St., Fall River, Massachusetts |
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Coordinates | 41°41′20″N71°8′19″W / 41.68889°N 71.13861°W |
Area | 8.6 acres (3.5 ha) |
Built | 1872 |
MPS | Fall River MRA |
NRHP reference No. | 83000729 [1] |
Added to NRHP | February 16, 1983 |
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. [1]
The Wampanoag Mills are prominently situated at the corner of Quequechan and Alden Streets in central Fall River. Its buildings are located just northwest of the western junction of Interstate 195 and Massachusetts Route 24, with the two five-story main mill buildings highly visible from those roads. The complex has a large number of buildings, many attached to or part of the main buildings. The western building includes Mill Number 1 and the weave shed, while the eastern building consists of Mill Number 2 with a number of smaller attachments. Between the two there are two small storage buildings, one granite and the other wood-frame. [2]
The Wampanoag Mills company was formed in 1871 for the manufacture of cotton textiles. Mill No. 1 was built on Quequechan Street in 1872 from native Fall River granite. Mill No. 2 was constructed in 1877, with access from Alden Street, increasing total capacity to 45,500 spindles. The mills were steam-powered. An attached two-story weave shed was also added to Mill No. 1. The mills closed in 1929. [3]
In the 1980s, Mill No. 1 became part of the Fall River factory outlet district, and contained numerous small retail shops. This mill has since been renovated into senior apartments. A cultural center remains within the former weave shed attached to the north end of Mill No. 1.
Mill No. 2 formerly contained Fall River Knitting Mills (later known as Northeast Knitting Mills).
On the evening of April 16, 2010, a fire of suspicious origin broke out in a storage building next to the mills, formerly occupied by Parker's Candies. [4]
The Quequechan River is a river in Fall River, Massachusetts, that flows in a northwesterly direction from the northwest corner of the South Watuppa Pond through the heart of the city of Fall River and into the end of the Taunton River at Mount Hope Bay at Heritage State Park/Battleship Cove. The word Quequechan means "Falling River" or "Leaping/Falling Waters" in Wampanoag, hence the city's name.
Pocasset Manufacturing Company was a cotton textile mill located in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was located just west of Main Street across the second falls of the Quequechan River. It was organized on August 15, 1821, with $100,000 in capital. The mill began operation in 1822, with Samuel Rodman of New Bedford as the principal owner. Oliver Chace, served as the mill's agent until 1837. Nathaniel Briggs Borden was named clerk and treasurer.
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.
The Border City Mill No. 2 is a historic cotton textile mill at One Weaver Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Built in 1873, it is the largest surviving element of the once-sprawling Border City Mill complex. It was designed by Josiah Brown, a prominent local designer of mills, and is one of the city's few brick mills. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It was converted into residences in the 1980s.
Chace Mills is a historic textile mill complex on Lewiston and Salem Streets in Fall River, Massachusetts. Built in 1872, it is one of the city's most visible historic mills, with a particularly fine Italianate stair tower. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Lower Highlands Historic District encompasses one of the oldest residential areas of Fall River, Massachusetts. The district is roughly bounded by Cherry, Main, Winter, and Bank Streets, and is located just east of the Downtown Fall River Historic District and directly south of the Highlands Historic District. This area was settled by 1810, has architecture tracing the city's growth as a major industrial center. The historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Narragansett Mills is a 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.
Durfee Mills is an historic textile mill complex located at 359-479 Pleasant Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA. Developed between 1866 and 1904, it was during its period of development the city's largest and architecturally finest mill complex. Along with the adjacent Union Mills, it is occupied by numerous retail businesses and a restaurant, and is known as the Durfee-Union Mills. The complex was listed on 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.
Barnard Mills is an historic textile mill at 641-657 Quarry Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Developed beginning in 1874, it was the first mill to use ring spinners instead of mule spinners, and was a major local employer until its closure in 1939. The complex has been redeveloped as a commercial retail space called Tower Mill. The mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Charlton Mill is a historic textile mill at 109 Howe Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Built in 1911, it is the last of the city's stone mill buildings to be built, and the first to feature the dual sources of steam and electrical power. The mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Flint Mills is a historic textile mill complex located on Alden Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, near the banks of the Quequechan River. The company was founded in 1872 and named in honor of John D. Flint, who served as its first president. The original 1872 mill burned in 1882, and was rebuilt in 1883. The complex was later expanded with a second mill and large addition in 1909. The site also contains a detached granite mill office building. The section of Fall River surrounding the mill became known as "Flint Village". The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
King Philip Mills is an historic cotton mill complex located at 372 Kilburn Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Developed between 1871 and 1892, it was historically one of the city's largest mills, and its building inventory is still largely complete. The complex 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.
Clover Leaf Mills is a historic cotton textile mill complex located at 1 & 21 Father DeValles Boulevard in Fall River, Massachusetts. Begun in 1884, the mill is a good example of 1880s industrial architecture. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
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.
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.