Pontiac Mills is a 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 ...

complex on Knight Street in the village of

Pontiac, Rhode Island Pontiac is a historic village in Warwick, Rhode Island, and part of the . History Native Americans referred to the area as "Papepieset" or "Toskiounke." After arriving in 1642, the early English settlers called the area "Great Weir" because fis ...

within the city of

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

. The mills produced the original

Fruit of the Loom Fruit of the Loom is an American company that manufactures clothing, particularly casual wear and underwear. The company's world headquarters is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Since 2002 it has been a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. Products manu ...

brand of cloth. The current mills were built beginning in 1863 by Robert Knight and

Benjamin Knight Benjamin Brayton Knight (1813–1898) was a New England industrialist and philanthropist, who was a partner with his brother Robert Knight in the B. B. & R. Knight Company and was one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world when he di ...

(B.B. & R. Knight Company) to replace a smaller textile mill they had acquired from US Senator

John Hopkins Clarke John Hopkins Clarke (April 1, 1789November 23, 1870) was a United States senator from Rhode Island. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, he moved to Providence where he studied under a private teacher. He graduated from Brown University in 1809, stu ...

. Robert Knight, formerly a clerk at the mill's company store, had begun leasing the mill upon Clarke's election to the

US senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

in 1846, before purchasing it outright in 1850. The Knights later demolished it to erect the current mill in 1863. The mills produced uniforms for Union soldiers during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1920 Webster Knight sold Fruit of the Loom and the Pontiac Mills to the Consolidated Textile Corporation of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for approximately $20 million, one of the largest deals ever made in the textile industry at that time.

1922 strike and riots

Shortly thereafter, the mill became involved in one of the largest worker strikes of the era, after wages were cut by 20% and a 54-hour work week mandated. The strike resulted in 150 people being evicted from their mill-owned homes, as well as riots and attacks on the mill, following which the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

was called in by Rhode Island governor

Emery J. San Souci Emery John San Souci (July 24, 1857 – August 10, 1936) was an American merchant and politician from Rhode Island. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island and as the 53rd Governor of Rhode Island. Early life and career San Sou ...

and machine guns mounted to the roofs of Pontiac Mill and nearby Natick Mill.

Decline and reopening

The textile industry in New England began declining shortly after this period. The mill ceased operations in 1970, and was added to 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 1972. In 1995 a new owner attempted to revive the mill with new tenants including stores selling antiques, furniture, and jewelry. The mills reopened in 2018 as Pontiac Lofts luxury mill apartments, with additional tenants Apponaug Brewing Company, Studio B salon, and On The Ropes Boxing.First 73 apartments at Pontiac Mill almost ready. (2018, July 12). ''Warwick Online'

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References

Industrial buildings completed in 1863 Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Cotton mills in the United States Buildings and structures in Warwick, Rhode Island Berkshire Hathaway National Register of Historic Places in Kent County, Rhode Island {{KentCountyRI-NRHP-stub

1922 strike and riots

Decline and reopening

See also

References