American Wringer
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 […]
Woonsocket Rubber Company (Alice Mill)
Woonsocket Rubber Company (Alice Mill) Banigan’s rubber empire The Woonsocket Rubber Company was founded by Irish-Catholic immigrant Joseph Banigan. Banigan apprenticed at the Providence Rubber Company and established his own company in Woonsocket in 1867. The company grew from producing rubber rolls for washing machines to manufacturing boots and shoes, becoming the largest rubber importer in […]
Globe Mill
Globe Mill Power and progress on the river’s edge Originally established in 1827 by Thomas Arnold, Thomas Paine, and Marcel Shove, the Globe Manufacturing Company sought to harness the power of the Blackstone River at its Falls. Though the initial venture faltered by 1829, the site remained a center of textile activity for decades to […]
Harris Woolen Company
Harris Woolen Company Industrial Titan of the blackstone The milling enterprise in Woonsocket, Rhode Island owes much to Edward Harris, who in 1831 launched his first woolen mill in the village that would become Woonsocket. Over the next decade Harris expanded rapidly: by the 1840s he had built successive mills, including what were called “Mill […]
Lippett Woolen Mill
lippett woolen mill A Woolen Empire on the blackstone The Lippitt Woolen Mill, a landmark of Woonsocket’s industrial heritage, traces its origins to the early 19th century. Initially constructed as the Harrison Mills around 1827 by the Ballou family, the site grew to include a substantial stone mill under the direction of Dexter Ballou. In […]
Nourse Mill
Nourse Mill A textile titan Built and operated by the Social Manufacturing Company in 1883, the Nourse Mill was named in honor of Charles Nourse, the long-time superintendent of the Social Mill. The three-story brick building was powered by a 1,200 horsepower Corliss engine and contained the finest equipment of its day. The mill contained 40,000 spindles, […]
Social Mill
social mill Heart of a textile era The Social Manufacturing Company, better known as the Social Mill, holds a distinguished place in the industrial history of Woonsocket. Founded in 1810 by eight enterprising men — Ariel, Abner, and Nathan Ballou, Eber Bartlett, Joel and Luke Jenckes, Oliver Leland, and Joseph Arnold — the company began […]
Taft-Peirce Manufacturing Company
Taft-Peirce Manufacturing Company Six Thousand Strong The Taft-Peirce Manufacturing Company prospered for over a hundred years as a completely integrated engineering, tooling and manufacturing institution. It was founded in 1875 as the Hautin Sewing Machine Company and became the Wardwell Sewing Machine Company in 1886 under the ownership of Samuel W. Wardwell. Wardwell continued the […]
Woonsocket Machine and Press
Woonsocket Machine and Press Two Proud Firms, One Mighty Enterprise The Woonsocket Machine & Press Company was incorporated in 1884 with the merging of two established businesses: Woonsocket Machine Company and Woonsocket Press Company. Woonsocket Machine Company began in 1828 with a partnership between brothers Willis & Lyman Cook and Willing Vose. Together they established […]
Clinton Mill
Clinton Mill A Monument to Industry The Clinton Mill, located at 93 Clinton Street, was constructed in 1849 by the Clinton Manufacturing Company and stands as an early example of large-scale textile production in northern Rhode Island. Built of locally quarried granite, the five-story structure measured approximately 256 by 50 feet and was notable for […]