( This page last revised January 1, 2011 )
~ AMERICAN PAPER & TEXTILE INDUSTRY ~
History of Paper and Textile Mills
( This page last revised January 1, 2011 )
~ AMERICAN PAPER & TEXTILE INDUSTRY ~
History of Paper and Textile Mills
~ NEW ENGLAND MILL HISTORY ~
Links
~ RHODE ISLAND MILL HISTORY ~
Links
Mills now under restoration in Rhode Island for both office use & residential use
NOTE - To be Completed
Colorants Industry History
The General Aniline Works in Grasselli, New Jersey
was typical of the dye manufacturing companies that arose in the U.S. during World War I
Above
The Lowell Mills - now newly renovated into luxurious apartments by a Braintree-based
development company,
this Mill on Bridge Street was once one of Lowell's largest Mill buildings.
If you are into History - what a better place to live - coming straight out of the History Books.
Credit for the image above goes to - MassMills.net
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Below
Looking down between the looms
~ A weaving room from the past ~
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And the inscription from the back of the above image.
The term (warp) is the Yarn which runs lengthwise in a piece of cloth -
whereas the term (weft) is the Yarn which is interlaced through the warp to produce a length of cloth.
They are also referred to as ( Woof and Welt )
In this historic photo below the Machine Shop can be seen in 1840, the history not only of the machine
shop but the Town & City of Lowell has been recorded on a large scale through many publications.
Below
The Lowell Machine Shop - as published in 1884.
The Lowell Machine Shop was incorporated in 1845, with its past going back to Waltham between 1813 to 1824
at that time a machine shop of the Boston Manufacturing Co. In 1825 it was later to be taken over by the proprietors
of Locks and Canals in Lowell. The Lowell Machine Shop produced a huge range of textile machinery well known
in many mills and textile schools throughout the United States, with exports to many other Nations. In later years the
machine shop would eventually go on to produce a range Locomotives and beyond those years it became a leader in
the building of hydraulic turbines. All thanks to the early work of Francis Cabot Lowell & his partners - all early
Pioneer's to the New England Cotton Manufacturing Industry.
One notable Locomotive to be built in the Lowell shop was the Roger Williams Locomotive built in 1839 for the
" Providence and Stonington Railroad " later changed in the 1850's to " The New York, Providence and Boston Railroad "
The Lowell Machine shop furnished the spinning machinery for the Glencoe Cotton Mills of North Carolina.
a link to this History is below /-
The Glencoe Research Forum
Glencoe Mill Rehabilitation
~ The Whitin Machine Works ~
( 1831 - 1966 )
Another large and very well known Machine Company was the
~ Whitin Machine Works ~
of Whitinsville, Northbridge
located in the Blackstone River Valley of south central Massachusetts,
County of Worcester.
The Whitin Machine Works was renowned Worldwide for the production of preparatory machinery used in the cotton manufacturing industry,
and was Most Notable for the development of " Opening and Picking " machinery, which played such an essential role within the industry.
The company also built five independent mills employing over 5,000 workers at the peak of its operations, and managed to survive through the
Great Depression.
Below on the Left is a print showing one of the machines that the company produced,
~ A 1934 Whitin Picker Machine ~
The first of these machines dates back to the 1831 Era, when John Crane Whitin Invented and
Patented the Whitin Picker which was used for cleaning cotton at the beginning of the spinning process.
During the early 1900's the company was to build an advanced range of high speed combers which were
acclaimed throughout the industry.
Some of the range of machinery from the Whitin Machine Company
included:
From the 1920's
( Band drive spinning frames and twisters. )
( Band drive spoolers. )
1930's - 1942
( Whitin combers Models D3 and D4 Machinery. )
1945 - 1952
( Whitin D-4 comber sliver & ribbon lap Machines. )
( Whitin one process Picker Machines. )
( Whitin opening Machinery. )
And more recent models - ( Blending and Opening Equipment ) - ( Whitin 48" Rotary Screen Condenser )
Carding Equipment - ( Whitin Model M Wool Card )
Spinning Equipment - ( Whitin Sample Woolen Spinner 7" / M2 Spinning Frames of 48 & 152 spindles )
Twisting Equipment - ( Whitin Sample Twister 16 spindles, 8.5" ring )
To mention just a few! out of many hundred different models & types.
The two images above show much earlier models from the Whitin Company ( both 1921 )
The one on the left shows the Box Top Loom ( 1920 - 1931 )
and the one on the right shows two Carding machines set up as a set.
A link to Click Here
The Whitin Mill Story
by Don Gosselin
The above link is provided by - Blackstone Daily, the Blackstone River Valley's Complete Resource
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A link to Click Here
An Excellent History of the Whitin Family and Company is below :-
The above link is provided by - Blackstonerivervalley.com
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Another link of interest is to the Lost Labor website:-
Click Here
This particular site features two Whitin Machine Works photos of a difference - don't forget the Textile section
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~ The Whitinsville Spinning Ring Company ~
Above, an original company advert from the 1916 era.
Another Company in Whitinsville was that of the Whitinsville Spinning Ring Company
well known for the manufacturing of spinning rings and twister rings of high finish using
hardened metals polished to a mirror finish. The company developed nearly every conceivable
type of ring for both Cotton, Wool, acrylic and later rayon ( viscose ) for the Textile trade.
To mention one /-
The diamond finish "Eadie " ring which was auto-lubricated around the total circumference,
was developed and patented by the company and was put to use throughout the textile industry.
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Below - is the Trademark for this once Famous Company
although the age of the initial trademark use is not known, due
to the company not using it in every advertisement published.
An Excellent Site
~ Thirteen Mile Lamb & Wool Company ~
Belgrade, MONTANA
A Whitin " Model D " 8 head spinning frame ( 1963 )
a long way from home !! From North Carolina to southwestern Montana
~ Now installed and Running ~
For anyone interested in a Top Woolen Story - From the rearing of sheep , shearing, spinning and weaving
through to the final product - this is a site Not to Miss..
~ Thirteen Mile Lamb & Woolen Company ~
Current page for 2010.
From the same site
~ A very good news page from March, 2007 ~
~ Now, for a look at the Stanley Woolen Mill ~
Uxbridge, MA
It is a feature page from this website...
~ Click above for the Stanley Woolen Mill ~
Photos are courtesy of - Wayne Arthur Hall Photography
specializing in
Outdoor Images of New England and Nature's Wonders.
Interested in the New England region ? Take a peek Below...
~ Historic Mills Sites and information from other STATES ~
below
~ STATE of CONNECTICUT ~
Links to Textile Mill History
" Thread City " during its heyday producing over 80,000 miles of thread per day
A further link to the Willimantic Linen Company History in Windham, CT can be found below:
~ STATE of NORTH CAROLINA ~
Links to Textile Mill History
Mills now under restoration in North Carolina for both office use & residential use
~ STATE of SOUTH CAROLINA ~
Links to Textile & Grist Mill History
- Image used with Permission -
Grist Mill
Mills now under restoration in South Carolina for both office use & residential use
~ STATE of GEORGIA ~
Links to Textile Mill History
Today in Georgia
Live links to the Textile Industry
~ STATE of INDIANA ~
Links to Textile Mill History
~ STATE of MARYLAND ~
Links to Silk Mill History
~ Winding thread from Skeins to Bobbins in the silk industry ~
The image above gives a good view as to how these machines looked in production,
in the links below similar machines are shown but now only a memory from years past.
~ STATE of MISSISSIPPI ~
Links to Textile Mill History
~ STATE of MISSOURI ~
Links to Textile Mill History
~ STATE of PENNSYLVANIA ~
Links to Textile Mill & Stone Mill History
~ STATE of TENNESSEE ~
Links to Textile Mill & Stone Mill History
For people interested in Circular Sock Knitting Machines
Some good links below
Hydraulic Water Turbines,
these sites are a must see
Above
The union symbol of the late 1880's - later to be known
as the United Textile Workers of America (U T W).
Previous to the late 80's another union was known as the Knights of Labor.