Richards, Dexter, & Sons Woolen Mill facts for kids

Richards, Dexter, & Sons Woolen Mill
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in New Hampshire Show map of New Hampshire Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	169 Sunapee St., Newport, New Hampshire
Built	1905 (1905)
Architectural style	Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.	100000468
Added to NRHP	January 17, 2017

The Richards, Dexter, & Sons Woolen Mill, often called the Dexter Mill, is a very old building at 169 Sunapee Street in Newport, New Hampshire. It was built in 1905 and is a great example of how factories looked back then. For many years, it was a major employer in the area, meaning lots of people worked there. This special building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 because of its importance.

The Dexter Mill: A Historic Building

Have you ever wondered how clothes were made long ago? Before big, modern factories, places like the Dexter Mill played a huge role! This mill was a busy place where workers turned wool into fabric. It's a key part of Newport's history.

What is a Woolen Mill?

A woolen mill is a type of factory where raw wool is cleaned, spun into yarn, and then woven into cloth. These mills were very important during the Industrial Revolution. They helped create many of the clothes and textiles people used every day. The Dexter Mill used machines powered by water from the nearby river to do this work.

Inside the Mill: What it Looks Like

The Dexter Mill is located about half a mile (0.8 km) east of downtown Newport. It sits between Sunapee Street to the north and the Sugar River to the south. The whole property includes the main mill building, a smaller office building, and a dam across the river.

The main mill building is made of brick and has three stories. There's also a tall, five-story tower at one corner. This tower has cool, narrow, rounded windows on its lower floors. The very top floor of the tower is open and has bigger, rounded window openings. A small brick office building is connected to the main mill by an underground tunnel. The dam across the Sugar River is made of concrete and was built in 1948. It replaced an even older stone dam, and you can still see parts of that original structure today!

A Look Back: The Mill's History

The area where the Dexter Mill stands has been used for factories since at least 1848. That's when the first known mill was built on this spot. The current mill building, the one we see today, was constructed in 1905.

Who Built It?

The mill was built for the Richards family. They were very important business people and factory owners in the Newport area. A talented person named Edward A. Buss, who was from Peterborough, designed the building. Its style is very typical of factories built during that time. The Richards family ran the mill for many years, until 1926.

What Happened Next?

After the Richards family stopped running the mill in 1926, a group of companies took over. They continued to make woolen goods there. They called their business the Gordon Woolen Mill. This mill continued to be an important part of the community for a long time.