Brookside Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Brookside Historic District
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The Brookside Mill
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Westford, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Edwards, William C.; Cox, William H. |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001729 |
| Added to NRHP | January 23, 2003 |
The Brookside Historic District in Westford, Massachusetts is a special area. It shows us what a small mill village looked like in the 1800s. This district includes old factory buildings and homes where workers lived. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Contents
Exploring the Brookside Historic District
The Brookside Village is mainly found along Brookside Road. This road runs from Lowell Street to Coolidge Avenue. It also includes nearby areas on Coolidge Avenue and Moore Road.
The Old Mill Building
The most important building here is the old Brookside Woolen Company mill. It's a two-story building made of stone. It was first built in 1862 and made bigger in 1894. This mill used power from Stony Brook, a stream that flows through the area.
Other Important Structures
Besides the mill, there's a dam across Stony Brook. There's also a social club building at 11 Brookside Road. This building was made in 1920. It was used as a dining hall for the mill workers. It looks like an old English-style building.
Homes for Mill Workers
Most of the other buildings in the district are homes. These were built for the people who worked at the mill. Many of these houses were built in the late 1800s. They are mostly in simple styles common for that time.
A Look Back at Brookside's History
The current mill stands where the first known mill in Westford was built around 1725. This very old mill was used for processing wool. Maps from 1831 also show mills and a bridge in this spot.
How the Mill Village Grew
In the late 1850s, a man named Theodore Hamblett started buying land here. He already owned other mills nearby. In 1862, he sold the mills to George and Seth Moore. They turned the property into a woolen mill. They built the oldest part of the mill that year.
Building Homes for Workers
At first, the mill owners didn't build many homes for their workers. There were enough houses already in the area. But around 1895, the company started building many more homes. This helped house the growing number of people working at the mill.
The Mill's Later Years
The mills faced tough times during the Great Depression. This was a period when many businesses struggled. The Brookside mills eventually closed by 1945. By the mid-1950s, the mill owners sold off all the houses they owned in the area.
