The Waucantuck Mill Complex was a mill complex in

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, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located southwest of Boston and south-southe ...

. Despite its 2010 demolition, (except for a historic storage building) it is still 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 ...

. The original Luke Taft Mill, built in 1824, on the

West River West River may refer to: Rivers Canada *West River (Antigonish, Nova Scotia) in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia * West River (Pictou, Nova Scotia) in Pictou County, Nova Scotia * West River (Halifax, Nova Scotia) in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia * West ...

was very close to the present site of the Waucatuck Mill complex. The Waucantuck complex was planned for a condominium and retail complex, underway in 2009. Both are very close to and virtually part of the Wheelockville District, where the Stanley Woolen Mill was built in 1852. Wash and wear fabrics were first developed at this mill in the 20th century. Products were produced under the name of "Indian Head". In the 1960s the former holdings of

American Woolen Company The American Woolen Company is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of men’s and women’s worsted and woolen fabrics. Based in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, the company operates from the 160-year-old Warren Mills, which it acquired from Lo ...

were eventually acquired by a company by that name in Uxbridge, MA. Originally the Uxbridge Worsted Company had proposed a buyout of American Woolen to become America's largest woolen conglomerate. The Town of Uxbridge was synonymous with the textile industry and its earliest and later developments. The "Waucantuck Mill Complex" structure was razed in 2010 because of contaminated industrial wastes, and the main complex is gone, with the exception of one or more storage buildings, though the site remains. This remaining structure is site of original Luke Taft mill, Reference for historic photo A historic marker is planned. The site is the geographic center of the John H. Chaffee Blackstone River Valley National Historic Corridor, a region of national significance to the earliest industrialization of 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 territori ...

. The Luke Taft Mill, and its successors were important footnotes in the early textile industry of the US. Innovations here included power looms, satinets, mixed textile blends, and wash and wear fabrics.

References

Industrial buildings completed in 1838 Buildings and structures in Uxbridge, Massachusetts American Woolen Company Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Uxbridge, Massachusetts Buildings and structures demolished in 2010 Textile mills in the United States Woollen mills {{WorcesterCountyMA-NRHP-stub

See also

References