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Powering the Mill
At first, the traditional wooden waterwheel was the prime mover in the Mill. Power was transmitted to the machines in different parts of the mill buildings by an intricate series of shafts and belts.
Assabet Mills - ca 1900
The original ,mill was a wooden structure. Afterward, a six-story, 170-by-50 foot brick mill was built over the wooden frame while the machinery inside was still running.
American Woolen Mills - ca 1900
A picture of the American Woolen Mills, c. 1900, with the railroad embankment and bridge (later removed). In the background, behind Mill #5, are the tower on the home of Lorenzo Maynard, the upper part of Amory Maynard's home, and the tank house for…
Assabet Mills Twin Chimneys - ca 1932-33
A picture taken behind the block at River Street of the Walnut Street Bridge (note: ball-type globes on street lights on bridge), back of billboards, and the twin smoke stacks of American Woolen Mills.
Assabet Mills Photo - ca 1932-33
A picture of the American Woolen Co. Mills further up and off from Thompson Street. This picture is of Mill Buildings #1, and # 5, and the field that is now Digital parking lot.
Assabet Mills Building #21 Swimming Hole Photo - ca 1932-33
A picture of the Assabet Mills swimming hole just right of the tree cluster off Thompson Street and Main Street, across the pond. The building is numbered 21.
The Shuttle
The shuttle, a double pointed device that carries the automatic bobbin, trails a taut thread and packs it tightly against the woven part of the fabric at the instant the shuttle reaches either end of its travel. It is the combination of the filling…
Assabet Mills - 1872
This picture shows the iron bridge on the newly located Walnut Street. Note that the Maynard Block, or Masonic building, had not yet been built.
New Mill Buildings during Construction
This picture shows new mill buildings during their construction.
Construction of Mill Building No. 1 and No. 2 - 1916
A photo of the construction of Mill Building No. 1 and No.2 in 1916. The Millpond was drained during the construction period. A wooden flume was erected from the cove near the point at Front Street to the corner of mill building No. 5.