The Whittenton Mills Complex 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 ...

site located on Whittenton Street 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 ...

, on the banks of the Mill River. The site has been used for industrial purposes since 1670, when James Leonard built an iron

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...

on the west bank of the river.Inland Massachusetts illustrated, Elstner Publishing Co., 1891
/ref> The first textile mill was built in 1805 and expanded throughout the 19th century. The complex 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 1984, and now contains various small businesses. In October 2005, the site gained national attention when the mill's 1832 wooden dam threatened to collapse after heavy rains. More than 2,000 people were evacuated for several days while officials and work crews could shore up the dam with boulders. As of 2012, there is an effort underway to have the dam removed entirely, and allow for restoration of the river bed. In 2008, scenes from the

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

film ''

Shutter Island ''Shutter Island'' is a novel by American writer Dennis Lehane, published by HarperCollins in April 2003. It is about a U.S. Marshal who goes to an isolated hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of a patient who is ...

'', portraying the

Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

were filmed here.

History

Between 1670 and 1805, the Leonard family operated a

on the west bank of the Mill River, at was originally called Whittington. In 1805, Crocker, Bush and Richmond established a nail mill on the site. In 1807, a second story was added to the mill for the manufacture of cotton yarn. This mill was destroyed by fire on November 9, 1811, but soon rebuilt at 70 feet long by 30 feet wide, with three stories. Thomas Bush retired from the firm in 1812, which was renamed Crocker and Richmond. The first power looms were introduced in 1818. In early 1823, Samuel Crocker and Charles Richmond organized the Taunton Manufacturing Company, along with several wealthy

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

investors. The new company operated a variety of businesses, including the manufacture of copper, iron, machinery, cotton and woolen textiles, at several sites throughout

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

.History of Bristol County, 1883 In 1824, a new mill was built at Whittenton, on the east bank of the river, under the management of James K. Mills & Company of

. A second mill was added in 1831-32. Constructed in stone, the mill contained seventy looms for the manufacture of fine cotton goods. James K. Mills & Company assumed full ownership of the property in 1835. A year later, Willard Lovering joined the new venture, and made improvements to the manufacturing facilities. The original 1811 mill was destroyed by fire in January, 1839. A new mill was soon erected, and the 1832 mill was enlarged in 1840. Lovering and his sons purchased the property after the financial

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was ...

in which James K. Mills & Company was ruined. Lovering retired in 1864 and turned control of the mills over to his three sons, Charles L., William Croad, and Henry Morton Lovering. By 1883, when the company was incorporated as the Whittenton Manufacturing Company, the factory covered a site of about 15 acres, and contained over 400,000 square feet of manufacturing space, producing a variety of cotton goods, including

gingham Gingham, also called Vichy check, is a medium-weight balanced plain-woven fabric typically with striped, check or plaid duotone patterns, in bright colour and in white made from dyed cotton or cotton-blend yarns. It is made of carded, medium or ...

s, dress goods, fancy tickings, shirtings,

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 ...

s, and

denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. While a denim predecessor known as dungaree has been pr ...

s. The facility was powered by five Corliss engines with a total of 1,200 horsepower, and water wheels providing an additional 250 horsepower. In 1881, the

Old Colony Railroad The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, ...

opened a connection to the Whittenton Mills from Whittenton Junction. The following year, the line was extended to the mainline at Raynham. A weaving shop was added to the mills in 1884. By 1917, the Whittenton Manufacturing Company was capitalized at $600,000, with Arthur Lyman as president. It contained 45,040 spindles and 1,640 looms, and produced ginghams and blankets.

Recent history

Several scenes from the movie ''

'' were filmed here in February and March 2008. A cast of hundreds was needed to shoot the scenes, which portrayed a Nazi concentration camp. A flea market was established on the site in 2009. It operated until January, 2012. On January 31, 2012, current owner David Murphy of Jefferson Development Partners announced plans for a Chinese firm to invest $25 Million into the complex, as part of a proposed project to convert the 42-acre site into residences and businesses.Taunton Daily Gazette, January 31, 2012
/ref>

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Taunton, Massachusetts History of Bristol County, Massachusetts Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Taunton, Massachusetts 1805 establishments in Massachusetts

History

Recent history

See also

References