The above photo by P.H. Rose shows a view from the south of the Monohasett Woolen Mill, circa 1890. The mill was (and still is) located at the corner of Eagle Street and Kinsley Avenue in Providence.

The mill was established in 1866 by a couple of guys named Paine and Sackett. The main building, according to “Providence Industrial Sites,” published by the Rhode Island Historical Heritage and Preservation Commission (1981), is “a four-story, brick structure with granite trim, a flank-gambrel roof, and a five-story, flat-top tower which originally had a steep hip roof. [This main structure originally] contained the engine room, boiler room, drying room, and packing room. The tower contained stairways, dressing rooms, and an elevator. The two-story, hip-roofed, brick building contained wool shops and more boiler and engine rooms. The Monohasset Mill specialized in the production of fancy cassimers and was known during its twenty-one years in operation as one of the best woolen manufacturers in the country.” The architect was J.C. Bucklin. 

In 1887 Armington and Sims Engine Company, makers of high speed steam engines, moved into the buildings. Although they made a superior product, lauded by no less a personage than Thomas Edison himself, Armington and Sims was out of business by 1896, possibly as a result of the depression that followed the panic of 1893. The company’s physical assets were then acquired at auction by Julius Palmer, F.M. Bushnell, and James M. Scott. These guys thought it would be a good idea to run their new company under the Armington and Sims name, until they got sued for doing so without the permission of the original owners. The renamed business, the Eastern Engine Company, lasted only ten years before failing in 1903.

[I’ve had no luck inserting images into the text of my articles on this website, so if you are interested in seeing them, you’ll have to click on the links to Flickr.]

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The above ad, from Providence Board of Trade Thirtieth Year (1898), was placed by Palmer, Bushnell, and Scott’s company using the Armington and Sims name without permission.

Over the next hundred years the property was home to several businesses, including a number of worsted companies (notable among which was Cleveland Worsted Mills), machinery dealers, a rug manufacturer, and a jewelry manufacturer. The last major tenant left in 1955, leaving the properties in the hands of successions of small jewelry and industrial companies.

In 2002 a group of four artists bought the building and began renovating it into residential live/work condo units, “designed by artists, for artists.” Wanna buy one? Or just see what it looks like inside? Check out www.millproject.org.

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The above view is of the north side of the main building, taken May 31, 2008.

Incidentally, the New England Wireless and Steam Museum in East Greenwich has two working Armington and Sims engines, and an approximate reproduction of the Armington and Sims machine shop can be seen today at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.

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Armington and Sims single disk engine, image from The Providence Plantations for 250 Years by Welcome Arnold Greene (1886).

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Armington and Sims double disk engine, image from The Providence Plantations for 250 Years by Welcome Arnold Greene (1886).

Join Providence’s Classiest Chassis on a burly-q cruise as we bid a fond farewell to summer!

Featuring:

Satire and Seduction by Providence’s Classiest Chassis, BellaMinx Burly-Q!

Boston’s favorite comedic-musical duo The Steamy Bohemians!

Sinuous World-Fusion Dance by Ximon!

Record-Breaking Sideshow Performer The Human Floor!

Saturday, August 23

The Perishable Theatre (95 Empire St. in Downtown Providence)

Two Shows: 7:30PM and 10PM

$20

18+

Whether your thing is metalworking, ceramics, jewelry, glass or bicycles, there are plenty of chances to get your hands dirty and let the creativity roar, so sign up today!

Link - http://www.thesteelyard.org/courses.php
Contact – courses@thesteelyard.org

The Steel Yard is located at the historic Providence Steel and Iron site, along the Woonasquatucket River in the heart of Providence’s industrial Valley neighborhood. With a 5612 square foot industrial shop featuring a foundry, ceramics studio, blacksmithing shop, and welding shop, as well as studio space and outdoor work and exhibition space, the Steel Yard is a multi-use venue. The Steel Yard’s program areas, focusing on arts education, the incubation of new business and arts initiatives, and the establishment of a lasting community arts resource, cater to working artists, students and community members, tradespeople, arts educators and entrepreneurs.

Barbara Lee, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was raised by her Puerto Rican mother and her Chinese-born stepfather from Jamaican. At age five Barbara’s father accepted work in California, where Barbara spent her entire youth. Barbara dove into the California film industry after graduating Diamond Bar in 1984. She was a series regular on In The Heat of the Night before becoming a stunt double for Halle Berry, Vanessa Williams and many others in television and film. Her most recent work includes Underdog, Game Plan, Dan In The Real Life and The Surrogates.

From her youth as a candy striper to her volunteer work in homeless shelters and hospitals as a Los Angeles Raider’s cheerleader, charity has always been a prevalent theme and an integral part of Barbara’s life and, in many cases, her work. Barbara has volunteered with the Cranston Chamber, the Hispanic Chamber, Sophia Academy, AIDS Care Ocean State, and the Genesis Center where she presently serves as a board member and the Food For Thought Committee Chair.

Get more details at Food For Thought’s website.