National Register of Historic Places

Ashton Historic District

Cumberland, Providence County, Rhode Island
Listed
November 1, 1984
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
84000367

About this property

The Ashton Historic District is a historic district in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The district consists of a mill and an adjacent mill village that was built for the workers of the mill. It lies between Mendon Road, Scott Road, Angell Road, Store Hill Road, Front Street and Middle Street. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1984. In 1867, in a program of further expansion, the Lonsdale Company erected a large, three and-one-half-story, mansard-roof brick mill at Ashton on the east side of the Blackstone River north of Lonsdale. It was later enlarged to four full stories with a flat roof. A compact group of associated brick row houses and other buildings, including a handsome mansard-roofed office, also were built. This mill played a major role in 19th-century textile technology and was the site of the first large-scale test of the high-speed Sawyer spindle, one of the earliest of its type developed in the United States. The mill houses here are noteworthy for their simple form and dense arrangement. In 1922, it's textile mills were temporarily shutdown by the New England Textile Strike over an attempted wage cut and hours increase. The village is tucked into a narrow, low flood plain site at the bottom of a bluff carrying Mendon Road (Rhode Island Route 122) in this section.

Location

Cumberland, Providence County, Rhode Island
41.93946, -71.43182

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURE
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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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
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Spotlight
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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.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Old Ashton Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
St. Joseph's Church Complex
Industrial
0.4 mi
Whipple-Cullen House and Barn
Industrial
0.8 mi
Berkeley Mill Village
Civil War
0.9 mi
Lime Kilns
Industrial
1 mi

Nearby Battles

Nipsachuck Swamp Fight
1676Colonial
5.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ashton Historic District listed on the National Register?

Ashton Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Ashton Historic District?

Ashton Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ashton Historic District?

The period of significance for Ashton Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Ashton Historic District?

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