National Register of Historic Places

Winthrop Mills Company

Winthrop, Kennebec County, Maine
Listed
October 7, 2014
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
14000835

About this property

The Winthrop Mills Company is a historic textile mill complex at 149-151 Main Street in Winthrop, Maine. Developed mainly between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, it was the nation's largest manufacturer of woolen blankets for many years, and a major local employer for about 150 years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. The former Winthrop Mills Company complex is located in the town center of Winthrop, on the banks of Maranacook Stream, between the Maranacook and Anabessacook Lakes. The complex includes five buildings, as well as a power canal and dam that first went into operation in 1866. Four of the five buildings are of brick construction, between three and five stories in height, with later additions of various sizes and materials. These buildings were built using slow-burning construction methods typically used for mill construction of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The mill office building is a single-story brick structure located near Main Street. Textile production began in Winthrop in the early 19th century, with the construction of a woolen and cotton mill in 1814. The Winthrop Mills Company was founded in 1866 by investors from Boston, Massachusetts, and operated on this site until 1938, when the business was purchased by the Wilton Woolen Company. It continued to operate under the Winthrop Mills name, producing both cotton and wool products until 1954. It was then sold, and operated as the Carleton Woolen Company, producing exclusively woolens until 2002, when it closed. It was one of the last woolen mills to operate in the state. National Register of Historic Places listings in Kennebec County, Maine Winthrop Mills Records at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.

Location

149-151 Main St.
Winthrop, Kennebec County, Maine
44.30685, -69.97101

Categories

INDUSTRY
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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Winthrop Mills Company

This page lists Winthrop Mills Company. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Winthrop Mills Company report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Bailey, Charles M., Library
Industrial
0.1 mi
Bailey, Moses, House
Industrial
2.4 mi
North Monmouth Library
Industrial
3.5 mi
Cobbossee Lighthouse
Industrial
3.9 mi
Lee, Jesse, Church
Industrial
4.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Winthrop Mills Company listed on the National Register?

Winthrop Mills Company was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 7, 2014.

What type of historic resource is Winthrop Mills Company?

Winthrop Mills Company is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Winthrop Mills Company?

The period of significance for Winthrop Mills Company is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Winthrop Mills Company?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Winthrop Mills Company will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Kennebec County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Kennebec County.

Explore KennebecCounty ›

More historic places in Maine

Browse all historic places in Maine.

View Mainehistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Maine history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Mainehistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Winthrop Mills Company will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report