American Wringer
Industry Leader
The American Wringer Company played an important role in Woonsocket’s industrial history. Its beginnings go back to the Bailey Wringing Machine Company, founded around 1865, which became well known for producing high-quality clothes wringers. In 1891, Bailey joined with several other firms—including the Empire and Metropolitan Manufacturing companies—to form the American Wringer Company, officially incorporated in Rhode Island. The company’s large factory complex occupied an entire block in the Social Village section of Woonsocket, helping the city expand beyond its textile roots into machinery and rubber manufacturing. It also worked closely with the nearby Woonsocket Rubber Company, which supplied the rubber rollers used in its products.
For many years, the American Wringer Company was one of the leading producers of laundry wringers in the United States. Its popular “Horse Shoe Brand” wringers were sold nationwide, symbolizing both practical innovation and New England craftsmanship. The company provided steady employment for local residents and contributed to Woonsocket’s reputation as a thriving industrial center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although demand for hand wringers declined with the rise of electric washing machines, the American Wringer Company remains a lasting part of Woonsocket’s manufacturing legacy and an important chapter in the city’s industrial development.
