Worumbo Mill | |
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Location | Canal St., Lisbon Falls, Maine |
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Coordinates | 43°59′37″N70°4′5″W / 43.99361°N 70.06806°W Coordinates: 43°59′37″N70°4′5″W / 43.99361°N 70.06806°W |
Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
Built | 1864 |
Architect | William H. Stevens |
NRHP reference No. | 73000235, [1] updated to 100001674 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | October 15, 1973 |
Removed from NRHP | October 5, 2017 |
The Worumbo Mill was a historic mill on the bank of the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls, Maine. Founded in 1864, it was at one point the community's largest employer. Its main building, dating to its founding, was destroyed by fire in 1987. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and was delisted in 2017. [1]
The surviving elements of the Worumbo Mill stand on the northern bank of the Androscoggin River, just south of the center of the village of Lisbon Falls. Originally a sprawling utilitarian 19th-century building adorned with additions and decorative towers, [2] only two 1920 concrete buildings, one of one story and the other of three, stand today. Both are set close to Canal Street, adjacent to the dam (now used for hydroelectric generation) that provided power to the mill.
The Worumbo Mill began as the brainchild of two residents of Lisbon Falls, Edward Plummer and H.A. Tibbetts. Later, Oliver Moses, a businessman from Bath was brought in as they sought to build a factory producing fine woolens. Ground was broken in 1864 and production began in 1865, with Mr. Moses as president of the company. Operating losses were substantial that first year at $100,000. This amount is roughly equivalent to $2 million today. During the 1920s an expansion was added to the mill and is the white building that stands today. The 1940s saw equipment upgrades. Due to pressure from overseas clothing manufacturers, the mill announced that it would be closing in 1964 and all 600 employees would lose their jobs. An attempt to restart production later failed. [3]
A fire started in the original portion of the mill on July 23, 1987, completely destroying the old portion of the complex, but the 1920s expansion was spared from the flames. [3] All told, 283 firefighters responded to the blaze. Although the fire was controlled in five hours, using 15,000 gallons of water per minute to do so (a total of 17.8 million gallons was used the first day), crews stayed for another 13 to extinguish the flames, and returned each day for over a week to be sure no flare-ups occurred. The Maine Forest Service responded with a helicopter to drop water, and crews from many surrounding towns assisted in the battle. It was one of Maine's largest industrial fires. [4]
The mill was also featured in the Stephen King novel 11/22/63 . [5] The mill was demolished in 2016.
Lewiston is the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, the state's capital, and Portland, the state's most populous city. It is one-half of the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Statistical Area, commonly referred to as "L/A." or "L-A." Lewiston exerts a significant impact upon the diversity, religious variety, commerce, education, and economic power of Maine. It is known for an overall low cost of living, substantial access to medical care, and a relatively low violent-crime rate. In recent years, the City of Lewiston has also seen a spike in economic and social growth. While the dominant language spoken in the city is English, it is home to the largest French-speaking population in the United States while it is second to St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, in percentage of speakers.
Lisbon is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine. The population was 9,009 at the 2010 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan statistical area and the Lewiston–Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England city and town area. The town of Lisbon includes the villages of Lisbon and Lisbon Falls.
Lisbon Falls is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Lisbon, located in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population of Lisbon Falls was 4,100 at the 2010 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, metropolitan statistical area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, Metropolitan New England city and town area.
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is 178 miles (286 km) long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is 3,530 square miles (9,100 km2) in area. The name "Androscoggin" comes from the Eastern Abenaki term /aləssíkɑntəkw/ or /alsíkɑntəkw/, meaning "river of cliff rock shelters" ; or perhaps from Penobscot /aləsstkɑtəkʷ/, meaning "river of rock shelters". The Anglicization of the Abenaki term is likely an analogical contamination with the colonial governor Edmund Andros.
The Paul Palmer was a five-masted schooner built in 1902 by George F. Welt in Waldoboro, Maine.
The Bates Mill is a textile factory company founded in 1850 and located at 35 Canal Street in Lewiston, Maine. The mill served as Maine's largest employer through the 1860s, and early profits from the mill provided much of the initial capital for nearby Bates College. Currently, the mill buildings are home to several new businesses, apartments, and a small museum.
The Barker Mill is an historic mill at 143 Mill Street in Auburn, Maine. Built in 1873, this five-story brick mill building is one a relatively few in the state that has a mansard roof, and has a higher degree of decorative styling than other period mill buildings. It was the first major mill on the Auburn side of the Androscoggin River. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is now residential housing. It was built in the Second Empire architectural style.
The First National Bank is a historic commercial building in Lewiston, Maine. Built about 1903 for the city's first chartered bank, it is a fine local example of French-inspired Classical Revival architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Lord Block is a historic commercial building in downtown Lewiston, Maine. Built in 1865, it is one of downtown Lewiston's oldest commercial buildings, and a reminder of the city's early commercial character. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Lower Lisbon Street Historic District encompasses part of the earliest commercial center of Lewiston, Maine. Located on the west side of Lisbon Street, the city's main commercial area, between Cedar and Chestnut Streets are a collection of commercial buildings representing a cross section of architectural styles, built between 1850 and 1950. When the historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, it included 18 buildings. Eleven of these have since been demolished, and one has a significantly altered facade.
The Pilsbury Block is an historic commercial building at 200-210 Lisbon Street in Lewiston, Maine. The block was built in 1870, and is a late example of Italianate architecture, exhibiting some Romanesque details. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Savings Bank Block is an historic commercial building at 215 Lisbon Street in downtown Lewiston, Maine. Built in 1870, it is a fine local example of commercial Second Empire architecture, and is representative of the city's early development as an industrial center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Second Callahan Block is an historic commercial building at 282 Lisbon Street in downtown Lewiston, Maine. Built in 1909 to a design by Coombs & Gibbs, it was part of a major development by brothers Timothy and Eugene Callahan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Although initially developed as a commercial property, it is presently used as housing.
Lisbon Falls High School is an historic former school building at 4 Campus Avenue in Lisbon Falls, Maine. Built in 1904–05 to a design by William R. Miller, it is a significant local example of Romanesque Revival architecture. It served as the high school for Lisbon Falls students until 1952, and then as a grammar school. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
The Farwell Mill is an historic former mill complex at 244 Lisbon Street in Lisbon, Maine. Built in 1872, it is a fine example of a cotton mill built at the height of the Industrial Revolution. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It is now residential housing.
The Shiloh Temple, now Shiloh Chapel, is a historic religious facility at 38 Beulah Lane in Durham, Maine. Built in 1897, the surviving building is a small portion of a once-extensive religious enclave established by the evangelical Christian leader Frank Sandford, exhibiting a unique expression of religious and summer retreat architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Samuel Penney House is a historic house at 78 Maple Street in Mechanic Falls, Maine. The house was completed in 1902 to design by William R. Miller and is considered the finest example of his residential work. It was originally one of three identical houses that stood side-by-side until the early 1920s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church is an historic former church building at 51 Main Street in Lisbon Falls, Maine. The church was designed in 1923 by Lewiston architects Gibbs & Pulsifer, and is an imposing example of neo-Gothic architecture for a relatively small community. It is also the only known church in Maine with association to the Slovak immigrant community. It was dedicated in 1926 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is presently home to the Maine Art Glass Studio.
The Elms is a historic building at the junction of Lewiston and Elm Streets in Mechanic Falls, Maine. Built as a hotel in 1859 and used for a variety of purposes since then, the substantial building is a fine late expression of Greek Revival architecture, and a reminder of the town's heyday as an industrial center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The Pejepscot Paper Company is a historic mill building located off U.S. 201 in Topsham, Maine, on the banks of the Androscoggin River, across from the town of Brunswick. Built in 1868, the building is one of the oldest surviving paper mill in the state. The mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1974. The building has been restored since the fire that took out the wooden building closest to Main St which the original foundation is now the parking lot and can still be seen, and is now a mixed-use commercial property, housing the Sea Dog Brewing Company among other tenants.