Monument Mills are historic
textile mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
s at Park and Front Streets in the
Housatonic village of
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, ...
. Developed beginning in the mid-19th century, they were a major American producer of
jacquard Jacquard may refer to:
People
* Albert Jacquard (1925-2013), French geneticist and essayist
* Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752-1834), French weaver and inventor of the Jacquard loom
* Robert Jacquard (born 1958), American politician
Other uses
* A M Ja ...
fabrics, operating until 1955. The mill complexes were 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 v ...
in 1983.
Today, some parts of the complex houses artists and small businesses.
Description and history
The Monument Mills are a prominent central feature of Housatonic village, lining both sides of the
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...
, from which they initially drew their power. The number one mill is located near the northern end of the village, between the railroad tracks and the river's west bank. The number two mill is located on the east bank of the river, just north of Park Street bridge.
[
The Monument Mills Company operated a textile business at these sites between 1850 and 1955. The first mill, operating at the northern end of the complex, was fitted for cotton fabric production, and was joined by the second mill, under separate ownership, in 1866. The second mill specialized in the production of jacquard fabrics for bedspreads; its success prompted the first company to buy the second, and expand production. A decline in demand and changing tastes in textiles brought about reduced business, and the mills closed in 1955, which thereafter suffered from vacancy and neglect.]Glendale Power House
The Glendale Power House is a historic power station on the Housatonic River, just off Massachusetts Route 183 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The 1905 power house, built for the Monument Mills, was one of the first places in the United States w ...
further up the Housatonic River in Stockbridge; this facility was one of the first hydroelectric power stations built to provide power for industrial work, and is also listed on the National Register.
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Industrial buildings completed in 1851
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Cotton mills in the United States
1851 establishments in Massachusetts