Uxbridge, Massachusetts - History - Industrial Era: 19th Century To Mid-20th Century

Industrial Era: 19th Century To Mid-20th Century

Bog iron and three iron forges were marks of the early colonial era, with the inception of large-scale industries occurring as early as 1775—examples of this development can be seen in the work of Richard Mowry, who built and marketed equipment to manufacture woolen, linen, or cotton cloth,. and the early emergence of gristmills, sawmills, distilleries, and other large industries. By the 19th century, Uxbridge housed a peak of twenty different industrial mills. Daniel Day built the Blackstone Valley's first woolen mill here in 1809 and by 1855, 560 local workers made 2,500,000 yards (2,300,000 m) of cloth (14,204 miles (22,859 km)) in Uxbridge mills.

Entrepreneur first's included: woolen power looms, and satinets, (John Capron and Effingham Capron), vertical textile integration into clothes, cashmere wool-nylon serge, wool synthetic blends, "poodle cloth", "wash and wear" fabric, new yarn spinning techniques, and latch hook kits. Villages developed following the pattern of The Rhode Island System, with the establishment of mills, shops, housing, farms, (and later baseball leagues). Further examples could be seen in William Arnold's 1814 Ironstone cotton mill, which later manufactured "Kentucky Blue Jeans", and Seth Read's gristmill, which later became the Bay State Arms. John Capron's 1820 mill made the first American satinets, while Hecla and Wheelockville centered around American Woolen, Waucantuck Mill Complex, and Hilena Lowell's shoe factory. Draper Corporation operated in the area from 1837 until 1841, before relocating to Hopedale, MA. Jerry Wheelock, Luke Taft, and Moses Taft's Calumet (Central Woolen) never ceased its manufacturing of Civil War cloth, operating under a twenty-four hour regime, and completing a vertical integration business model in the process.

North Uxbridge was home to Clapp's 1810 Cotton Mill, the Sayles Rivulet Mill, Blanchard's granite quarry, and Rogerson's village. Crown and Eagle Mill has been described as "a masterpiece of early industrial architecture". Blanchard's granite quarry provided curb stones to New York City and public works projects throughout the northeast. The Sayles family which established the Rivulet Mill in the early 1800s, was also prominent in the lower Blackstone Valley.

Noted industrialist, Effingham Capron, became a nationally known anti-slavery champion, while he and his brother John Capron ran the Capron Mill at Uxbridge Center. Capron Mill later became Bachman Uxbridge Worsted, under the Root family, along with Edward Bachman, which later developed thirteen plants, attaining leadership in the women's fashion market. Bachman Uxbridge Worsted Company eventually proposed a buyout in order to be the top US woolen company. Capron Mill, and the successor company, Bachman Uxbridge, had contracts, to manufacture the United States Army uniforms for the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the nurse corps. The company was also responsible for the first Air Force "dress uniforms" and introduced the color name, "Uxbridge Blue".