The Lancaster Mills are a 19th-century complex of predominantly brick mill buildings at the corner of Green and Chestnut Streets, near the center of Clinton, Massachusetts. Founded in 1844 by a group led by Erastus and Horatio Bigelow, the Lancaster Mills were the first major mill to produce gingham fabrics. Its success in the 1840s led to the establishment of the town of Clinton out of Lancaster. The 29-acre (12 ha) complex was expanded regularly throughout the 19th century and was used for textile manufacturing into the 20th century.[2]

Lancaster Mills
Lancaster Mills is located in Massachusetts
Lancaster Mills
Lancaster Mills is located in the United States
Lancaster Mills
Location1-55, 75, 99, 1-R Green St., 20 Cameron St., Clinton, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°24′43″N 71°40′49″W / 42.4119°N 71.6803°W / 42.4119; -71.6803
Area29.1 acres (11.8 ha)
Built1844 (1844)
Built byWilliam T. Merrifield
Architectural styleItalianate
NRHP reference No.10000005[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 29, 2010

The Mills, and the Tenement houses adjacent to the Mills, were built by William T. Merrifield, a contractor from nearby Worcester Massachusetts. Merrifield won the contract in 1844 and completed the construction in 1848. During those four years he lived in Clinton.[3]

The mill complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "NRHP nomination for Lancaster Mills". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  3. ^ Allison Chisolm (December 27, 2015), The Inventive Life of Charles Hill Morgan: The Power of Improvement In Industry, Education and Civic Life, TidePool Press, LLC, pp. 38–, ISBN 978-0-9914523-8-5
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