The Damon Mill is an historic mill complex on the
Assabet River
The Assabet River is a small, long river located about west of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed October 3, 2011 The Assabet rises ...
and located at 9 Pond Lane in
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...
. The site, which has an industrial history dating to the 17th century, was adapted for the production of textiles in the 19th century, with the surviving complex dating to 1862. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1979.
History
Industrial works in the Assabet River area of western Concord date to about 1660, when there was a bog iron works established. The river was soon dammed, with grist and sawmills serving the surrounding agricultural community. The first
textile mill
Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...
was built in 1808 by John Brown, the son of a local
clothier, and produced cotton goods. The mill changed hands several times before coming under the ownership of Calvin Carver Damon in 1834. Under his ownership, improvements were made to the dam and tail race, and a more efficient water wheel was installed. In 1854, Calvin's son,
Edward Carver Damon, assumed control of the mill. Damon Mill produced a unique textile known as domett cloth, a light wool-cotton flannel invented by Calvin Damon, which became a mainstay fabric used in
underwear
Underwear, underclothing, or undergarments are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled ...
. By the 1870s it was producing a diversified array of materials, and employed 175 workers.
On June 19, 1862, the wooden mill burnt to the ground. Edward Damon and architect
Elbridge Boyden
Elbridge Boyden (1810–1898) was a prominent 19th-century American architect from Worcester, Massachusetts, who designed numerous civil and public buildings throughout New England and other parts of the United States. Perhaps his best known work ...
rebuilt the mill in the same year. The mill continued to produce textiles until the 1890s. It was mortgaged in 1893 and sold by 1898. In the early decades of the 20th century it was used by other textile firms for the production of worsteds, but its small size led to its eventual closure. From about 1930 to 1973 the plant was used for the cold storage of apples.
[ Today, the mill has been rehabilitated, and is used as office space by various businesses.
]
See also
*
References
External links
A detailed history of Damon Mill
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Industrial buildings completed in 1862
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Concord, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Concord, Massachusetts
1862 establishments in Massachusetts