In 1910, Nyanza Mills was incorporated with a capital of $600,000 by largely Boston and Woonsocket interests. The company manufactured cotton, mercerized and dyed yarns.
In 1915, the mill’s capital increased to $1 million and a plant expanded to include three new buildings. To provide electric and steam power to the Nyanza complex, the Manufacturer's Power Company was added. Before the plant expansion, the company employed 550 people. By the late 1920s it employed 838 people.
Facing difficult financial times common for manufacturers of cotton in the early 1930s, the mill closed in 1932. The owners voted to liquidate in 1935 and the building was bought for junk in 1939.
In January 1940, a campaign was organized by local citizens to purchase the mill from its new owners who had planned to demolish the structure. These Woonsocket residents noted that the Nyanza Mill, which consisted of 457,000 square feet of mill space, was valued at more than $1 million and held both financial and historical value in the community.
In February 1940, Governor William H. Vanderbilt and the RI Industrial Commission induced the owner to delay demolition. In addition, the Woonsocket Lions Club and the Kiwanis Club joined together to plan a fundraising drive on March 15. Over 1,000 people attended the meeting. Although 1,800 local residents invested in the effort, by November plans to save the Nyanza seemed to be falling short. With the advent of World War II, however, the mill was spared.The Goodyear Fabrics Corporation began operation in the space, filling government war production needs.
Images courtesy of the Woonsocket Historical Society
