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, 540 looms and had 380 employees. By the 1930’s, the mill was being operated by the Woonsocket Rayon Company and was the site of violent protests during the Great Textile Strike 1934. The building was destroyed by fire in 1956. The site of the mill is approximately where the Woonsocket Harris Library and the Woonsocket Motor Inn on Clinton Street stand today.