The Barker Mill is an historic mill at 143 Mill Street in

Auburn, Maine Auburn is a city in south-central Maine within the United States. The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County. The population was 24,061 at the 2020 census. Auburn and its sister city Lewiston are known locally as the Twin Cities ...

. Built in 1873, this five-story brick mill building is one a relatively few in the state that has a mansard roof, and has a higher degree of decorative styling than other period mill buildings. It was the first major mill on the Auburn side of the

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River ( Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1979, and is now residential housing. It was built in the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

architectural style.

Description and history

The Barker Mill is set on the south bank of the

Little Androscoggin River } The Little Androscoggin River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 30, 2011 river in Maine. It flows from Bryant Pond in Woodstock () to its confluence with the And ...

, a short way upriver from its confluence with the Big Androscoggin River. It is a five-story brick structure, 33 bays in width, with a mansard roof and a tower section that projects from its front (east-facing) facade. Its sash windows are general set in slightly-recessed panels, separated by pilaster-like piers and horizontal bands. The roof has a bracketed cornice, and the steep portion of the mansard roof is lined with gable-roof dormers. The central tower is five full stories in height, with a reconstructed mansard-roofed sixth floor which also has gabled dormers embedded. The Little Androscoggin Water Power Company was formed in 1870 to exploit the water power provided by the Little Androscoggin at this point, to which it end it purchased a large amount of land along the river. The river was dammed (the dam is just upstream from the mill building) in 1872, and the mill building, designed by Maine native Charles F. Douglas, was completed in 1873. It was named for the company's directing agent, C. I. Barker. The mill produced shirting, sheeting, and other woven textiles for many years. The building was converted to an affordable

retirement community A retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults who are generally able to care for themselves; however, assistance from home care agencies is allowed in some communities, and activities and socializ ...

in 1979.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Industrial buildings completed in 1873 Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Buildings and structures in Auburn, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Androscoggin County, Maine Buildings with mansard roofs Textile mills in Maine Retirement communities in the United States 1873 establishments in Maine

Description and history

See also

References