National Register of Historic Places

Sawyer Woolen Mills

Dover, Strafford County, New Hampshire
Listed
September 12, 1989
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
89001208

About this property

The Sawyer Woolen Mills is a historic textile mill complex at 1 Mill Street in Dover, New Hampshire. Built in stages between 1873 and 1939, the mill complex is one of New Hampshire's most intact mill complexes, reflecting multiple architectural styles which were retained by addition to the complex rather than by the demolition of older buildings. The mills were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The mill complex occupies 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) on the banks of the Bellamy River, adjacent to the Spaulding Turnpike south of downtown Dover. It consists of 15 major buildings, two dams, and four bridges. Only three smaller buildings have been destroyed. There are four large mill buildings in which the textile processing took place, lining the banks of the river, two of which are joined by an ell that spans the river. On the east side of the complex are a series of four warehouses. The 1882 office building is one of the finest mill offices in New England of the period, retaining significant interior decorative detail. The designers of most of the mill buildings are unknown, but the office was designed by Charles E. Joy, a local architect. The Sawyer Woolen Mill Company was established in 1824, and are believed to be the third woolen mill in the state. By 1883 it was the largest manufacturer of woolens in the state, a position it held until it was eclipsed by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester around 1900. The company was founded by Alfred I. Sawyer and operated in the family until 1899, when it went bankrupt and was acquired by the American Woolen Company. The mill complex was operated by American until it was closed and sold off in 1955. In the mid-1980s the complex was converted to residential use. National Register of Historic Places listings in Strafford County, New Hampshire Media related to Sawyer Mills at Wikimedia Commons Sawyer Woolen Mills records at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.

Location

1 Mill St.
Dover, Strafford County, New Hampshire
43.17898, -70.87585

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

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Nearby Battles

Cochecho Massacre (Dover NH)
1689Colonial
1.3 mi
Raid on Dover (NH, 1689)
1689Colonial
1.3 mi
Raid on Dover NH 1689 (Cochecho Massacre)
1689Colonial
1.3 mi
Dover Raid (King Philip's War)
1675Colonial
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Sawyer Woolen Mills listed on the National Register?

Sawyer Woolen Mills was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Sawyer Woolen Mills?

Sawyer Woolen Mills is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Sawyer Woolen Mills?

The period of significance for Sawyer Woolen Mills is recorded as the listed era.

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