Winthrop Mills Company facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Winthrop Mills Company
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 149-151 Main St., Winthrop, Maine |
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| Area | 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) |
| Built | 1882 |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000835 |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 2014 |
The Winthrop Mills Company was a very important old factory in Winthrop, Maine. It was a textile mill, which means it made cloth and fabric. For many years, it was the biggest maker of wool blankets in the entire country!
This factory provided lots of jobs for people in Winthrop for about 150 years. Because of its long history and importance, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. This means it's recognized as a special historic site.
What is the Winthrop Mills Company?
The old Winthrop Mills Company buildings are right in the middle of Winthrop, Maine. They sit next to Maranacook Stream, which flows between two lakes, Maranacook and Annabessacook.
Looking at the Factory Buildings
The factory area includes five main buildings. There's also a special canal and a dam that started working in 1866. These helped power the mill.
Most of the buildings are made of brick and are quite tall, from three to five stories high. They were built using special methods to make them strong and safer from fires. The main office building is a smaller, one-story brick building close to Main Street.
A Long History of Making Textiles
People started making textiles in Winthrop a very long time ago, in the early 1800s. The first woolen and cotton mill was built in 1814.
The Winthrop Mills Company itself was started in 1866. Investors from Boston, Massachusetts helped create it. The company made cloth and fabric at this location until 1938.
After that, another company called Wilton Woolen Company bought it. It still made cotton and wool products under the Winthrop Mills name until 1954. Then, it was sold again and became the Carleton Woolen Company. This company made only wool products until it finally closed in 2002. It was one of the last wool factories still working in Maine.
