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List of mills in New Bedford, Massachusetts

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The city of New Bedford, Massachusetts once had about 70 textile mills, operated by 28 establishments with over 3.7 million spindles at its peak around 1920, and was among the leading cotton textile centers in the United States during the early 20th century. There are currently about 18 mills left in the city.

Existing mills

Ref# Name # Mills Image Built Location Spindles Looms Notes/current use
1 Booth Manufacturing Company 2 1910 East Rodney French Ave 50,000 1,300
2 Butler Mills 2 1902 Ruth Street 95,000 2,100 Abandoned to the City in 1935 for back taxes; Mill No 1 razed
3 Dartmouth Manufacturing Company 3 1895 Cove Street 200,000 5,700 one mill demolished
4 Grinnell Manufacturing Company 1 1882 Kilburn Street 126,000 3,135 Part of property sold to Revere Copper and Brass Co.
5 Hathaway Manufacturing Company 4 1888 46-92 Harbor St 108,000 3,400 Later part of Berkshire-Hathaway
6 Holmes Manufacturing Company 1 1909 East Rodney French Ave 69,500 Sold to Kendall Corporation in 1934;
7 Howland Mill 2 1888 Orchard Street 82,000 3,250 Mill No. 2 built in 1892, reincorporated as Gosnold Mills Company in 1902
8 Kilburn Mills 2 1904 Rodney French Boulevard 126,000 Enlarged in 1915; as of 2015, rented out to various private businesses such as an antique store, a used record store, a vintage clothing shop, and artists' studios/galleries.
9 Lambeth Rope Company 1 Tarkiln Hill Road
10 Manomet Mills 4 1903 Riverside Avenue 203,020 Mill No. 2 added 1908. Mills No. 1 and 2 sold to Delaware Rayon Company in 1928; Mill No. 3 added 1916, sold to Nashawena in 1925; Mill No. 4 added in 1922, located on King Street, was the largest spinning mill in the world. It never operated at full capacity and was sold to Firestone Rubber Co. in 1927
11 Nashawena Mills 2 1909 Belleville Avenue 145,000 3,324 Additions built in 1916 and 1922; plant's weave shed the largest in the world
12 National Spun Silk Company 1 Brook Street
13 Neild Manufacturing Corp. 2 1910 Nash Road 62,600 1,600 Weave shed added in 1925
14 Nonquitt Spinning Company 3 1906 Belleville Avenue 150,000
15 Pierce Brothers LTD. 2 1909 Sawyer Street 50,000 1,200
16 Taber Mill, Inc. 2 1906 70,720
17 Wamsutta Mills 7 1846 Acushnet Ave 229,000 4,310 Expanded in 1855, 1865, and 1870; Mills No. 1, 2 and 3 have been razed; Mills 4 and 5 converted into apartments; Mills 6 and 7 and weave shed contain various tenants
18 Whitman Mills 3 1895 Coffin Ave 175,088 4,932 Weave shed demolished in 1934; converted into apartments

Non-extant mills

Ref# Name # Mills Image Built Destroyed Location Spindles Looms Notes
1 Acushnet Mill Corp. 2 1883 1931 Dalano St 105,000 3,500 Second mill built in 1887; demolished in 1931
2 Anderson Textile MFG Co. 1 1909 2,400 Company dissolved in 1911
3 Beacon Manufacturing Co. 1 1896 Purchase St
4 Bennett Manufacturing Corp. 2 1891 Coggeshall St 12,000 1,000 Two mills; became part of New England Cotton Yarn Company in 1899; later part of Fairhaven Mills in 1917
5 Bristol Manufacturing Co. 2 1893 1933 198 Coggeshall St 67,000 Demolished in 1933
6 City Manufacturing Corp. 2 1888 Grinnell St 58,000
7 Columbia Spinning Co. 2 1892 2009 Coggeshall St 80,000 Two mills; became part of New England Cotton Yarn Company in 1899; later part of Fairhaven Mills in 1917; Demolished in 2009 to make way for a shopping plaza.
8 New Bedford Cordage Co. 1 Ash / Emerson
9 New Bedford Cotton Mills Corp. 2 1909 Coffin / Church Street 80,000
10 New England Cotton Yarn Co. 1 Coggeshall St Additional mill built after 1899 as part of former Bennett-Columbia complex acquisition. Sold to Fairhaven Mills in 1917
11 New Bedford Manufacturing Co. 2 1882 North / Water 40,000 Reorganized as New Bedford Spinning Co. in 1897; became part of New England Cotton Yarn Co. in 1899; Sold to Passaic Cotton Mills in 1917; later American Cotton Fabric Corporation;
12 New Bedford Steam Co. 1 1846 Hillman Street 7,500 First textile mill in New Bedford. Not successful. Closed in 1852.
13 Page Manufacturing Co. 2 1906 Orchard / Cove 64,000 1,740
14 Pierce Manufacturing Corp. 2 1892 Belleville Ave 64,470 3,600
15 Potomska Mills 2 1873 1935 Potomska St 123,500 3,018 Second mill added in 1877; demolished in 1935
16 Quissett Mill 1 1912 Prospect St 80,000
17 Rotch Mills 2 1892 Orchard Street 100,000 Became part of New England Cotton Yarns in 1899; Sold to Passaic Cotton Mills in 1916 which constructed addition known as Penrod Mill with 30,000 spindles; plant sold to Goodyear and Fisk Rubber Companies in 1924.
18 Sharp Manufacturing Co. 2 1910 1937 Dartmouth St 200,000 1,000 Mill No. 2 completed in 1917; Purchased by Rockdale Mills, Inc. in 1937 and razed. Warehouse remains.
19 Soule Mill 2 1901 Sawyer St 92,640 2,300


See also

References

  1. The Story of Cotton and Its Manufacture into Cloth in New Bedford, 1937
  2. 1917 Textile Directory
  3. 1917 Textile Directory
  4. "City of New Bedford Historic Mill Inventory 2008" (PDF). City of New Bedford. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  5. The Story of Cotton and Its Manufacture into Cloth in New Bedford, 1937
  6. The Story of Cotton and Its Manufacture into Cloth in New Bedford, 1937
  7. 1937 report
  8. 1937 report
  9. 1917 Textile Directory
  10. 1917 Textile Directory
  11. South Coast Today, June 16, 2009
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