National Register of Historic Places

North Berwick Woolen Mill

North Berwick, York County, Maine
Listed
July 20, 1983
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83000482

About this property

The Olde Woolen Mill (also known as the North Berwick Woolen Mill) is a historic mill complex at Canal Street, on the Great Works River in the center of North Berwick, Maine. Built in 1862, it is the only major mill complex in the Berwick region of York County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The mill is located between Canal Street and the Great Works River, just south of Wells Street (Maine State Route 9) in the village center of North Berwick. The associated mill pond is located just north of Wells Street. The mill complex is a somewhat typical 19th century New England mill complex, with a large rectangular main building, with a series of attached wings. The complex exhibits an eclectic mixture of architectural detailing, including elements of Greek Revival, Italianate, and Colonial Revival styling. An earlier wooden mill built on the site in 1832 was destroyed by fire, and the existing brick structure built in 1862. Primarily owned by Quakers, the mill, one of the first to automate the manufacture of blankets, produced uniforms and blankets for Union soldiers during the American Civil War. At its foundation level has been preserved one of the earliest steam engines in the United States, and the only one of its kind to survive. The mill closed in 1955 and remained mostly unused for nearly 40 years, when it served as the site of the Parrish Shoe Factory in the 1995 fantasy movie Jumanji. In 2009 the structure was renovated into a senior housing site by the Caleb Group, a nonprofit housing organization of New England. It was the first property to be awarded a tax credit under the Maine State Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Act of 2008. National Register of Historic Places listings in York County, Maine "Old North Berwick mill now affordable housing for older residents" by Jason Claffey, in Foster's Daily Democrat (27 October 2009) "Old Maine mill gets new lease on life" by Deborah McDermott in Seacoastonline.com (30 August 2009) Archived July 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Historical sites in or around North Berwick, Maine, in The Maine Encyclopedia

Location

North Berwick, York County, Maine
43.30467, -70.73701

Categories

INDUSTRYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Hobbs, Thomas, Jr., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Hurd, Mary R., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Hussey Plow Company Building
Industrial
0.4 mi
Prescott, J. L., House
Industrial
0.4 mi
Division No. 9 School
Industrial
2.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Raid on Wells ME 1703
1703Colonial
7.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was North Berwick Woolen Mill listed on the National Register?

North Berwick Woolen Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 20, 1983.

What type of historic resource is North Berwick Woolen Mill?

North Berwick Woolen Mill is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for North Berwick Woolen Mill?

The period of significance for North Berwick Woolen Mill is recorded as the industrial era.

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