The original section of this mill was constructed in 1865 by George C. Ballou for the Ballou Manufacturing Company. He used the site for storage and the construction of warps for his other mills.
After Ballou’s death in 1876, the mill was sold to Lyman Cook and Joseph Banigan, incorporators of the Woonsocket Rubber Company. The pair established the Glenark Knitting Company on the site in 1882 with capital of $100,000. The company provided jersey cloth, knitted goods and rubber liners for Woonsocket Rubber’s boot production. During this period, Glenark Mill was the largest knit goods manufacturer in the nation.
The original building's lower two levels were constructed of rubble stone and the upper two levels were constructed of wood. The upper stories were eventually replaced with brick. The mill was expanded twice, first in 1885 and again in 1891.
<i>Images courtesy of the Harris Public Library (A) and the Osher Map Library (B, C, & D)</i>
