Andrews Mill Company Plant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Andrews Mill Company Plant
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 Andrews Mill Company Plaint
Location in Rhode Island
Andrews Mill Company Plaint
Location in the United States
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| Location | 761 Great Rd., North Smithfield, Rhode Island |
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| Area | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| Built | 1918 |
| Architect | Seabury, Dwight |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Industrial |
| NRHP reference No. | 100002937 |
| Added to NRHP | September 13, 2018 |
The Andrews Mill Company Plant is a very old factory building in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. It was built starting in 1918. This factory made special wool fabrics called French worsted wool textiles. It was part of a big growth in factories in northern Rhode Island back then. This important place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. This means it's a special site worth protecting.
Contents
What is the Andrews Mill Company Plant?
The Andrews Mill Company Plant is a historic group of buildings. It's located in a part of North Smithfield called Branch Village. You can find it on the north side of Great Road. This road is also known as Rhode Island Route 146A. The factory sits near the Route 146 highway.
How Big is the Area?
The factory is on a large piece of land, about 32 acres. That's like 24 football fields! The Branch River runs along the north and east sides of the property. This river flows into the Blackstone River.
What Buildings Are There?
The complex has three main old buildings. There's a large main weave shed. This is where the fabric was made. It's connected to a boiler house, which made steam for the machines. There's also a separate machine shop. The weave shed looks like a single story from the street. But it's actually two stories tall because the ground slopes.
What is a Sawtooth Roof?
The weave shed has a special roof called a sawtooth roof. It looks like the teeth of a saw. This design helped bring natural light into the factory. It was very useful before electric lights were common. As lighting got better, this type of roof became less common. There are also some newer buildings on the site. These were built after the 1900s and are not considered historic.
A Long History of Industry
This location has been used for factories for a very long time. People started using the river's power here around 1795. Back then, they made tools called scythes. These were used for cutting grass.
From Scythes to Textiles
Around 1870, the site started making textiles, which are fabrics. A big textile factory here burned down in 1915. Then, in 1918, the Andrews Mill Company bought the land. This company was from Pennsylvania. It was also a branch of a French textile company.
Why Here?
The company chose this spot for a few reasons. One reason was the help of Aram Pothier. He was a French Canadian businessman and politician. Another reason was that many French-speaking workers lived nearby in Woonsocket. These workers were perfect for the factory.
Who Owned the Mill Over Time?
The Andrews Mill Company only ran the factory for a few years, into the 1920s. In 1936, another company, Uxbridge Worsted Company, bought it. Later, in 1955, the Tupper Corporation rented the factory. This company makes Tupperware containers. Tupper Corporation bought the factory in 1958. They closed the plant in 1994. After that, it was used as a recycling plant. By 2018, the factory had been empty for some time.
