American Woolen Company facts for kids
The American Woolen Company was once a very important company that designed and made fabrics like worsted and woolen cloth for clothes. Today, it is based in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. The company works out of the old Warren Mills, which it bought in 2014.
Contents
History of the American Woolen Company
Early Years (1899-1950)
The American Woolen Company started in 1899. It was led by William M. Wood and his father-in-law Frederick Ayer. They brought together eight woolen mills in New England that were having money problems.
At its busiest time in the 1920s, the company owned and ran 60 woolen mills across New England. It is well-known for its part in the Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912.
The American Woolen Company was formed during a time when many large companies, called "trusts," were created. By the 1890s, the textile industry in New England was struggling. This was because too many goods were being made, there was a lot of competition, and companies were not managed well. Also, the families who owned many of the mills wanted to receive a lot of money (called dividends) instead of putting money back into improving the factories.
Frederick Ayer, a successful merchant from Lowell, bought the Washington Mills in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He hired his son-in-law, William M. Wood, to run it. Wood had already helped a struggling mill in Fall River become successful again. With Ayer's money, Wood brought together several mills that were not doing well. His goal was to reduce competition and make prices higher. He also convinced investors to let the company use its profits to build new factories and buy new machines.
In 1901, the company bought the Burlington Mills in Winooski, Vermont, which were failing. The American Woolen Company made them profitable again, but these mills later closed in 1954.
In 1905, the American Woolen Company built the Wood Mill in Lawrence, which was the largest mill in the world at the time. Then, in 1909, they built the Ayer Mill next to it. The Ayer Mill has a huge clocktower that is almost as big as Big Ben in London!
After the Lawrence Textile Strike in 1912, the American Woolen Company had to pay its workers more. The company was at its peak in the 1920s, making 20% of all the woolen products in the country. Many of these mills originally used water power, but they added steam power (using coal) in the late 1800s as they needed to make more products.
Even with new technology, these mills in New England had workers who were part of unions. This made it harder for them to compete with mills in the Southern United States that did not have unions and could make things like blankets more cheaply. Also, fashion changed, and new fabrics like polyester became popular. This meant people wanted less worsted wool by the mid-1920s.
However, the two world wars helped the American Woolen Company stay busy and successful until 1945. The company was one of the top businesses in the United States for making military supplies during World War II.
Homes for Workers
In 1902, the company built a neighborhood called Presidential Village in Maynard, Massachusetts. It had about 200 houses that workers could rent. These homes were later sold in 1934. The company also sold housing at its other mills in New England.
In the early 1920s, the American Woolen Company also built Shawsheen Village in Andover, Massachusetts. This village was for the company's managers and was close to the company's main office.
Recent Years (1950-Present)
After the Korean War ended, the government stopped ordering so many products. The American Woolen Company almost went out of business. It was then bought by another company called Textron in 1955.
In 1966, a company that made wool blankets bought the American Woolen Company's name. This company focused on making and selling woolen blankets in the United States. In 1987, this company sold its factory and moved to Miami, Florida. It then focused on importing and selling woolen blankets to groups like relief organizations and hotels.
In 2013, a group of investors led by Jacob Harrison Long bought the American Woolen Company. They wanted the company to focus again on designing and making high-quality American-made worsted and woolen fabrics for clothing.
In June 2014, the American Woolen Company bought the Warren Mills complex. An Italian luxury clothing company had owned and run this mill for 26 years. The Warren Mills, located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, are known as some of the best mills in Europe. They are now the headquarters for the American Woolen Company. Here, they make worsted wool for men's suits and cashmere and camel hair for coats. The state of Connecticut helped the company buy the mill by giving them a loan and a grant. The goal of this purchase was to bring back the making of luxury wool fabrics to the United States.
See Also
Images for kids
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Ayer Mill, Lawrence, Massachusetts
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Wood Mill, Lawrence
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Warren Mills' primary building, 8 Furnace Avenue, American Woolen Company's headquarters
