Slater Mill was opened in 1793 as one of the first industrial cotton mills in the US.
It sits along the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, RI.
In addition to two historic mill buildings there is a colonial era house and garden.
The garden features vegetables as well as medicinal plants and plants used for dyeing fibers.
This is the inside of the Wilkinson Mill, which still has its original water wheel and the mechanisms the power the machinery seen here. Only one floor is currently set up to run with the water wheel....it's deafening and the the floor shakes, I can't imagine what the creaking, groaning, and thumping would have been like with three floors operational. Part of the exhibit let's kids use a water powered lathe to make spools for thread.
The guide gets a comfy and particularly picturesque seat between tours.
This is the waterwheel. It's massive and has an impressive array of controls to help regulate water pressure.
The outside of the Wilkinson Mill with the local spinning guild holding demonstrations. The weather was perfect, warm with a touch of humidity to give the air that soft summer feeling, but with enough of a breeze to make knitting and handling wool in fine.
The Blackstone River, the source of power for both of the mills on site. The Blackstone played an important role in the Industrial Revolution for much of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It's a wonder to behold, one of our summer goals is to take the boat tour that explores the rivers history.
Of course there was yarn bombing on some two hundred year old industrial machinery.
The purple pompom was my contribution.
The interior of Slater Mill which was one of the first cotton mills in the US. There are spinning machines, drum carder, etc...representing the mills over 100 hundred year history as a working mill.
The loom that sits in the colonial era house on the property. We were able to buy some samples of fabric that had been woven on this loom.
The lovely, sunlit dining room.
If I had this machine I might actually manage to knit a pair of socks.
Part of the WWKIPD event was a yard sale, my 12 year old managed to purchase a pair of wool breeks and a cotton shirt for reenactments for $6!!! He was very excited, they need some alterations so we are going to do them in the period correct way for children's clothes by inserting drawstrings rather than making permanent alterations.
He is going to be training to become a docent at the Nathaniel Greene Homestead.
Later in the day he found a chemise for me for $1...I think the women at the yard sale table were charmed by his enthusiasm for early American history.
This lovely window is in the waterwheel room. I'd wished I could sit there with a good book or my knitting. The windows throughout the stone building are gorgeous.
If you're ever in RI check out this gem of a place. They have many events throughout the year including a fiber festival. The grounds are a lovely spot to stop and enjoy the river. It's one of our favorite spots.
Oh, as for knitting...I didn't get a whole lot of that done. Everything else was perfect.
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