Edward Pranker (1792–1865) was an English-American textile manufacturer who owned the Pranker Mills in

Saugus, Massachusetts Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 28,619 at the 2020 census. Saugus is known as the site of the first integrated iron works in North America. History Native Americans ...

Early life and business

Pranker was born in 1792 in

Wilton, Wiltshire Wilton is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire (of which it was once the county town), England, with a rich heritage dating back to the Anglo-Saxons. Carpets have been manufactured at Wilton since the 18th century. Today it is overshadowed by i ...

. In 1820 he emigrated to the United States. He engaged in the manufacturing of woolen goods in

North Andover, Massachusetts North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...

until 1832 or 1833, when he moved to

Salem, New Hampshire Salem is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 30,089 at the 2020 census. Being located on Interstate 93 as the first town in New Hampshire, which lacks any state sales tax, Salem has grown into a commer ...

. He would eventually sell his Salem operation to his business partner.

Pranker mills

In 1838, Pranker purchased an abandoned mill in Saugus, Massachusetts. He renovated the mill and installed new machinery. At his mill, Pranker engaged in the manufacturing of

flannel Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, b ...

and

bed sheets A bed sheet is a rectangular piece of cloth used either singly or in a pair as bedding, which is larger in length and width than a mattress, and which is placed immediately above a mattress or bed, but below blankets and other bedding (such as ...

. Although the conditions of the wool business in general were extremely poor during the mill's first years of operation, the business was a success. In 1840, he was able to pay off the bond on the property. By 1846, Pranker's business had grown so much that he had to build a second mill. Also in 1846, Pranker enlarged a dam on the

Saugus River The Saugus River is a river in Massachusetts. The river is long, drains a watershed of approximately , and passes through Wakefield, Lynnfield, Saugus, and Lynn as it meanders east and south from its source in Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield ...

by two feet, which raised the water level of a pond that bears his name. In 1857, Pranker, his son George Pranker, and John Armitage incorporated the Edward Pranker & Co. textile firm. Also that year, Pranker had frame buildings constructed for wool pulling and sheepskin tanning. In 1860 he built another mill on the opposite side of the road. Pranker remained involved with the business until his death in 1865. In addition to textile manufacturing, Pranker was also one of the founders of the

Saugus Branch Railroad The Saugus Branch Railroad (often called the Saugus Branch) was an American rail line that operated passenger service from 1853 to 1958. It serviced the Massachusetts communities of Saugus, Malden, Everett, Revere, and Lynn. Beginnings The fi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pranker, Edward 1792 births 1865 deaths American textile industry businesspeople English emigrants to the United States People from North Andover, Massachusetts People from Salem, New Hampshire People from Saugus, Massachusetts People from Wilton, Wiltshire 19th-century American businesspeople