Robert Rogerson was an early American

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

. He was born in

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...

, and died in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Early career

Robert Rogerson was born in Taunton to parents who immigrated to the US from the UK. After leaving Taunton, he came to

Uxbridge, Massachusetts Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, MA, Mendon, and named for the Marquess of Anglesey, Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located south ...

, where he acquired the Clapp Mill in 1817, which had been established on the

Mumford River The Mumford River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in south-central Massachusetts. It is a tributary of the Blackstone River. The river rises f ...

about seven years earlier. This was the oldest cotton mill in Uxbridge. Rogerson then built two cotton mills at the Mumford River in Uxbridge in 1825. The complex became known as the Crown and Eagle Mills. The name derived from a tribute to both of his parents original (the Crown) and his families adopted (the Eagle) homelands. As well as the mills themselves, Rogerson built a village, acclaimed as an architectural masterpiece, designed and constructed with devotion and extravagance.

Later history of the mills

It is known that Rogerson's ownership of the Crown and Eagle ended around 1837. The business had failed, partly due to the expense he had lavished on construction, and was acquired by James Whitin and the Whitin Family, who continued to operate the mill as the Uxbridge Cotton Mills.* The Crown and Eagle Mills were burned around 1975. They have been restored and converted into Senior Housing. Rogersons Village, built by Robert Rogerson, is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor

!-- commented out photos --(link to photo of mill

-> and is 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 ...

Personal life

Rogerson's wife may have been Ann Rogerson, who is listed in the Douglas Vital Records as wife of Robert Rogerson, having died in

Douglas, Massachusetts Douglas is a town in Southern Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 8,983 at the 2020 census. It includes the sizable Douglas State Forest, managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). History The name of Dou ...

. His daughter, Elizabeth Slater Rogerson, died in Uxbridge at age 18 on January 19, 1842. He was also a scholar, a musician and for many years, the president of Boston's Handel and Haydn Society. Rogerson did not die in Uxbridge, at least prior to 1850, but apparently lived there until at least the early 1840s.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogerson, Robert People from Uxbridge, Massachusetts American textile industry businesspeople People of the Industrial Revolution

Early career

Later history of the mills

Personal life

See also

Notes