Old Slater Mill
About this property
The Slater Mill is a historic water-powered textile mill complex on the banks of the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, modeled after cotton spinning mills first established in England. It is the first water-powered cotton spinning mill in America to use the Arkwright system of cotton spinning as developed by Richard Arkwright. The mill's founder, Samuel Slater, apprenticed as a young man with industrialist Jedediah Strutt in Belper, England. Shortly after emigrating to the United States, Slater was hired by Moses Brown of Providence, Rhode Island to produce a working set of machines necessary to spin cotton yarn using water power. Construction of the machines was completed in 1793, as well as a dam, waterway, waterwheel, and mill. Manufacturing was based on Arkwright's cotton spinning system, which included carding, drawing, and spinning machines. Slater initially hired children and families to work in his mill, establishing a pattern that was replicated throughout the Blackstone Valley and known as the "Rhode Island System". It was later eclipsed by Francis Cabot Lowell's Waltham System. The Slater mill and surrounding area were the site of early labor resistance. This included the first factory strike in the United States, which was led in 1824 by young women workers. Slater Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark on November 13, 1966, the first property to be listed on the register. In December 2014, the mill and historic district were added to the newly formed Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park.
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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.
Everything a full report reveals about Old Slater Mill
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Questions about this property
When was Old Slater Mill listed on the National Register?
Old Slater Mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1966.
What type of historic resource is Old Slater Mill?
Old Slater Mill is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Old Slater Mill a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Old Slater Mill has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Old Slater Mill?
The period of significance for Old Slater Mill is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Old Slater Mill?
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 Old Slater Mill will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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