Paul Moody (inventor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Moody
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| Born | May 23, 1779 |
| Died | July 5, 1831 (aged 52) |
| Occupation | Master mechanic & inventor |
| Employer | Boston Manufacturing Company, Waltham, MA and later Proprietors of Locks and Canals, Lowell, MA |
| Known for | First power loom in U.S. |
Paul Moody was an amazing American inventor who lived from 1779 to 1831. He was born in Byfield, Massachusetts. Paul Moody is famous for creating and improving the first power loom in America. This invention was a huge step forward for factories, especially the first successful cotton mill in Waltham, Massachusetts, in 1814. He worked closely with a businessman named Francis Cabot Lowell to make this happen.
Early Life and Learning
Paul Moody was born on May 24, 1779. He was one of nine children in his family. Even though he didn't go to school for very long, he started learning the skill of weaving when he was just sixteen. He quickly became very good at it!
Later, he worked at a factory that made nails. This factory was owned by Jacob Perkins. First, it was in Byfield, and then it moved to Amesbury, Massachusetts. In 1812, Paul Moody worked for a company that made machines for preparing cotton, called carding machinery.
In 1800, Paul Moody married Susan Morrill from Amesbury. They had three sons together. Soon after getting married, he started his own company with some partners. It was called the Amesbury Wool and Cotton Manufacturing Company.
Working in Waltham
In 1814, Paul Moody moved to Waltham, Massachusetts. His job was to set up all the machines for a brand new cotton mill. This mill was part of a big project led by Francis Cabot Lowell.
Paul Moody invented the very first power loom that used the power of water from the city's streams and rivers. This was a huge deal! The official patent for this amazing loom went to Lowell and his business partner.
While he was in Waltham, Paul Moody received other patents for his inventions. A patent is like an official document that says you invented something. For example, in 1816, he got a patent for a machine that helped prepare cotton threads. He also made improvements to another machine called the double speeder in 1819. He even made a machine for dressing fabric work twice as well in 1818!
Building Lowell City
Because the mill in Waltham was so successful, the business partners decided to build a whole new city. This happened between 1821 and 1825. They built it along the Merrimack River in a place that used to be called East Chelmsford. This new city was named Lowell, in honor of Francis Cabot Lowell.
In 1824, Paul Moody built a factory in Lowell called the Lowell Machine Works. This factory made all the machines needed for the mills in the new city.
Paul Moody also created a new way to power machines using leather belts and pulleys. This system was much better than the old way used in British mills. It saved money and needed less fixing. This new system became very popular in American factories.
From 1823 to 1825, Paul Moody was the chief engineer for the Locks and Canals Company. He lived in a house that is now a museum called the Whistler House Museum of Art.
Paul Moody sadly passed away in Lowell in 1831 after being sick for only three days. To remember his important work, streets in both Waltham and Lowell, Massachusetts were named after him. Some parts of the street in Lowell were later renamed University Avenue and Textile Avenue.
