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Slater Mill Historic SiteLocated in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the Slater Mill Historic Site offers visitors a unique opportunity to see how the Blackstone River Valley was transformed from a series of small farming and milling communities into one the nineteenth century's great industrial centers. The site contains three buildings - the Sylvus Brown House (1758), the Slater Mill (1793) and the Wilkinson Mill (1810) - which illustrate the progression of textile manufacturing from a hand craft to large scale industrial enterprise.
The Sylvus Brown House![]() In this house, and others like it, women and children did the slow tedious work of cleaning and carding wool, spinning yarn and weaving cloth. It is interesting to watch this process by hand since the machinery in the Slater Mill duplicates many of the same operations, often with equipment that looks much like the hand tool original.
The Slater Mill![]() Today, the Slater Mill is a museum dedicated to the history of textile manufacturing in America. It displays 24 machines built between 1775 and 1922 which demonstrate the process of turning cotton into cloth.
The Wilkinson Mill![]() Designed as a cotton mill, it also included a machine shop on the first floor where mechanics built or repaired whatever machinery the mill required. A magnificent waterwheel still provides power to the machines in the machine shop. When built, the mill performed all stages of cloth manufacture except weaving. By 1817, it is likely that weaving was also introduced, possibly on looms built in the mill's own machine shop. The Slater Mill Historic Site is located on Roosevelt Avenue in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Tours are given by guide only. For additional information call (401) 725-8638. This page utilizes information from:
Great Road | Slater Mill | Mill Villages | Banner Trail | State House
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