What was Slater Mill and why is it historically significant?
Slater Mill is a historic water-powered textile mill complex on the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It was the first mill in America to use the Arkwright system of cotton spinning with water power, making it the origin point of the American industrial revolution in textiles. It was also the first property listed on the National Register of Historic Places, designated a National Historic Landmark on the 13th of November 1966.
Who founded Slater Mill and where did he come from?
Samuel Slater founded the mill after emigrating from England, where he had apprenticed under industrialist Jedediah Strutt in Belper. He was hired by Moses Brown of Providence, Rhode Island to build a working set of water-powered cotton spinning machines based on Richard Arkwright's system.
When was Slater Mill built and when did it stop producing cotton?
Construction of the machines, dam, waterway, waterwheel, and mill was completed in 1793. Cotton spinning continued at the mill until 1895, when production had largely shifted to the American South.
What was the Rhode Island System associated with Slater Mill?
The Rhode Island System was a labor model established by Samuel Slater in which entire families, including children, were hired to work in the mill. This pattern spread throughout the Blackstone Valley and distinguished Slater's approach from Francis Cabot Lowell's competing Waltham System, which eventually eclipsed it.
What was the first factory strike in the United States and how does it connect to Slater Mill?
The first factory strike in the United States took place in 1824 and was led by young women workers at the Slater Mill site in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The mill and surrounding area had become an early center of labor resistance.
Is Slater Mill open to the public today?
Slater Mill opened as a museum in 1955 and remains open to the public. The five-acre site includes the Slater Mill, the Wilkinson Mill, the Sylvanus Brown House (built in 1758), and a dam on the Blackstone River. In 2021 the National Park Service acquired the key buildings as part of the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park.