Four mills defined this area, known as Market Square, in the 19th century: Ballou Mill, Harris Mill #1, Mowry Grist Mill and the Lyman Mill.
As early as 1698, an ironworks and sawmill were located on the western edge of the Market Square area along the Blackstone River. The sawmill was built by the sons of Richard Arnold, one of Woonsocket’s earliest settlers, while the forge was located downstream from the sawmill. A flood in 1807 destroyed the forge.
James Arnold, a later descendent of the Arnold Family, acquired the Market Square area and full water rights of the river between 1793 and 1809.
In 1808, Arnold constructed a Grist Mill that’s second floor he leased to a number of textile businesses. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1829, but was rebuilt and continued to be used throughout the period.
In 1812, Arnold built and leased a mill to Rufus and Stephen Thayer, which the purchased in 1822 along with 1/32 the water rights. This mill was destroyed in 1829. It was quickly rebuilt and sold to Edward Harris in 1831. It was here that Harris began his textile conglomerate in what would be known as Harris Mill #1.
In 1822, the sawmill was moved to the opposite side of the river and the land where it had stood was leased to Oliver Ballou and his son Dexter. Together they built a textile mill and acquired 1/16 the flow of the river from James Arnold. This mill was destroyed by fire in 1829 and again in 1846. After the second fire, George C. Ballou acquired the mill from his brother Dexter and rebuilt the mill in stone. It is this Ballou Mill that is depicted on the City of Woonsocket’s seal.
The last mill built by James Arnold on the Market Square area was the Lyman Mill. It was constructed in 1814 and leased by Dexter Ballou to produce textiles. Part of the mill was leased to Gilbert Brewster to develop a self-operating spinning mule. In 1821 it was sold to Daniel Lyman with 1/16 water rights to operate as a cotton mill. It was then known as Lyman Mill.