Ashton Mill – Cumberland, RI

The attached photo’s represent what is a refurbished mid nineteenth century factory currently serving as upscale apartments.

My interest in taking photographs of old factories begins with my attempt to document the decline of the industrial revolution in Connecticut and parts of RI and W.MASS.

Notes about the slideshow (the images are not in any particular order):

1) Blackstone River adjacent to the factory with canal (not shown) down stream.
2) Foot bridge built in recent times to resemble original bridge constructed in early 1800’s.
3) Large bridge is Rt. 116
4) Large brick building is the factory
5) Duplex’s and homes shown were built for the workers
6) Close up of the door is the main front door of the factory (now apartment complex)
7) Photo’s of (2) small buildings, (about 20 ft. in length), represent the workers entrance and exit to the underground tunnel. This allowed the workers to bypass the railroad tracks.
8) Sign in front of bridge of the “park” represents a linear biking/walking trail that has been constructed on the opposite side of the river probably primarily for residents of the now converted Ashton Mills apartments.

Although presently an apartment complex I’ll be speaking in terms of it’s original use as a Mill. This complex was originally built in 1810 for the Smithfield Cotton Co. This company struggled and eventually sold the mill to the Lonsdale Company in approx. 1840. Lonsdale was a manufacturer of textiles and enjoyed tremendous success throughout the remainder of the 19th century. They were arguabley the most successful textile mill in Rhode Island at the time. Later on they did expand their facilty at two other locations in Cumberland. Lonsdale not only enjoyed strong sales domestically but into foreign markets such as China as well.

Like many New England mills/factories they were built in the 1800’s in isolated area’s due to their need to harness a rivers power.  The mill was no exception as it saddled against the Blackstone River.  The Blackstone River was named after William Blackstone, (circa 1625), who was one of the first settlers in Boston.  Eventually a canal was built down river to handle the traffic.

Several years later in 1848 the Providence and Worcester railroad was built to pass directly past the front door of the mill.  This provided a secondary mode of transportation to get goods to customers on time.

With the need to house workers in what was, at the time a desolate community, employee housing was constructed.  The photo’s shown reflect single family, duplex and multi-family housing on Old Angell Rd. and Mendon Rd. to serve that purpose. Not all the housing was photographed.  Brick was not the typical building material for housing during that era but, as you can see, it has weathered well and are in use to this day.

This housing was intended to be for “families” and it was reported that the factory did employ men, women and children.  Their counterparts in the Boston area tended to lean more towards women to staff their mills and factories.  With the “family” concept came the need for Lonsdale to build a schoolhouse, an episcopal church and a general store.

Shown in the background of some of the photo’s is the colossal Rt. 116 bridge.  This bridge was constructed in 1945 and “reconstructed” in 2008.  According to a 2008 traffic study it saw approx. 10,200 vehicles daily. I find the detail on the posts and arch work to be very well done.

There is also footbridge shown built adjacent to the Rt. 116 bridge.  This was built in more recent times in attempt to duplicate the original steel bridge back in the day.

After WWI (1918) the booming textile industry of Rhode Island began to decline.  With the cost of doing business substantially lower in the south, including reduced labor costs, many companies relocated. This decline worsened through the years and the great depression of the 1930’s didn’t help much.

Textile employees decreased from more than 60,000 in 1950 to fewer than 15,000 in the late 1970s in the State of Rhode Island. According to the R.I. Department of Labor actual employees in the textile mills was 2,591 in the year 2008.  This number is projected to be 2000 employees in 2018.

I’m sorry to say that as I travel throughout CT, MA and RI it’s obvious that yesterdays flourishing mills and factories are many times demolished, abandoned or today’s apartment/condo complexes.