Star Carbonizing
The building was razed in 2007 and the site is currently unoccupied.
<i>Image courtesy of Charles Noel</i>
The building was razed in 2007 and the site is currently unoccupied.
<i>Image courtesy of Charles Noel</i>
In 2000, Brickle Group purchased Metcalf Brothers of New York City and moved the operation to Woonsocket. This division manufactured and sold wool textiles worldwide, but due to overseas competition was shut down in 2017.
Other divisions of the Brickle Group continue to manufacturer textiles in Woonsocket, including wool blankets, berets, baseball cores, industrial fabrics, and insulation.
<i>Images courtesy of Potter Photography</i>
Woonsocket Electric Machine & Power Company continued to operate on the site well into the 20th century, although relatively little is known of their operation.
<i>Image courtesy of the Harris Public Library</i>
At the turn of the century, Lippitt employed 338 people. Throughout the era they would continue their operation without major incident.
<i>Images of the Rhode Island Historical Society</i>
The Glenark Mill, like so many other cotton mills facing competition from southern manufacturers, shuttered its doors in 1914. The property was sold to the Uxbridge Worsted Company, a woolen textile firm.
In 1918, the Uxbridge Worsted Company produced 1.4 million yards of woolen cloth at the Glenark Mill. From 1921 to 1946, the number of worsted spindles increased for 4,000 to 7,800.
In 1948, the Uxbridge Worsted merged with the Bachmann Company to form the Uxbridge-Bachmann Worsted.
<i>Images courtesy of the Rhode Island Historical Society</i>
In the 1850s, the Woonsocket Company continued to grow. Mill #1 was lengthened by 25’ on the river end and Mill #4 was added to the complex.
In 1871, the mill came under the management of Moses B.I. Goddard. Under him the mills were expanded and improved even further. In 1872, steam power was added to supplement waterpower from the Bernon Pond. At that time the Woonsocket Mill Company had 15,000 spindles, 337 looms and 300 employees involved in the manufacture of cotton print goods.
The Woonsocket Machine & Press Company was incorporated in 1884 with the merging of two established businesses: Woonsocket Machine Company and Woonsocket Press Company.
In 1874, Joseph Banigan, owner of the Woonsocket Rubber Company, traveled to France and purchased the American rights to manufacture Hurtu Sewing Machines. The following year, he established the Hautin Sewing Machine Company in Woonsocket to produce the Hurtu designs.
The Smith’s Mill operated through the mid-nineteenth century. In 1884, the mill was incorporated as the Eagle Mill with capital of $100,000. Officers included Charles Morris Smith as President and George M. Smith as Treasurer & Secretary.
The mill’s Superintendent was George H. Grant, who became the first mayor of Woonsocket in 1889. In 1895 the mill was producing cotton plushes, employed 141 men, 133 women, 18 boys under 16, and 7 girls under 16. The working conditions at the mill were reported to be fair by the State of Rhode Island.
Constructed in 1849, the Clinton Mill consisted of several large stone buildings, with the main building having 5 stories. The first operators of the site, Clinton Manufacturing Company, remained open until 1876. At that point the mill was taken over by the textile firm of B.B.and R.Knight. This large firm, which operated locations across Rhode Island, would later become the Fruit of the Loom Company.
<i>Images courtesy of the Library of Congress (A & B) and the Osher Map Library (C)</i>