Hayward Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hayward Mill
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Douglas, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) |
| Built | 1898 |
| Architect | Kain, Charles T., Eng.; Cole & Kimball, Eng. |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Italianate, Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000695 |
| Added to NRHP | June 17, 1991 |
The Hayward Mill is a historic group of buildings in Douglas, Massachusetts. You can find it where North and Cook Streets meet, right by the Mumford River. This spot has been used for industry since the 1700s! The buildings you see now were mostly built in 1880 or later. The Hayward Mill was the first really successful fabric-making business in Douglas. It operated for a long time, until the 1960s. This important mill complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Today, it has been changed into homes.
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What is the Hayward Mill Like?
The Hayward Mill complex is located on a bend in the Mumford River. It's in a part of Douglas called East Douglas. The river is dammed, which means a wall was built across it. This creates a mill pond, which is like a small lake. This pond was the water source that gave the mill its power.
Buildings at the Mill
The mill complex has three main buildings. Two of them are large structures with many parts.
- The Mill and Dye House is the main factory building. It has sections that are three and four stories tall. This building is made of brick. The oldest part of it was built in 1880. This happened after an earlier mill on the same spot burned down.
- Next to it is the Boiler House. This is a two-story brick building. It has a tall smokestack. It was built in 1898.
- South of the main mill is the Office building. This building is just one story tall. It sits between the mill pond and North Street. It has been changed into a private home. This office building is the most fancy-looking of the three. It shows off a style called Italianate.
A Look Back: Hayward Mill History
This site has a long history, even though not all of it is well-recorded. People were given the right to use the river's water here in 1750. This is called a "water privilege." A grist mill, which grinds grain, was working here in the late 1700s.
Early Textile Mills
A new dam was built on the site in 1795. The very first textile mill was built here in 1863. This building sadly burned down in 1880. However, some parts of its water system were used for the new mill.
The Hayward Woolen Company
The Hayward Woolen Company was a business partnership. It was formed by Moses Taft and his son-in-law, William Hayward. In the 1870s, they owned mill properties. They would rent these properties to other people to run. The mill on this site was one of them.
When the mill burned down, they rebuilt it using brick. Then, they started making woolen products themselves. The company kept working at this location. It went by different names over the years. But it was usually controlled by the Hayward family and their relatives. The mill operated until 1966. A related company, the Hayward-Schuster Company, continued operations until 1982. After that, the property was used for other types of manufacturing. Now, it has been fixed up and turned into homes.
 | Aurelia Browder |
 | Nannie Helen Burroughs |
 | Michelle Alexander |
