Heart of the Village - Lincoln, Rhode Island USA
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N 41° 56.263 W 071° 26.037
19T E 298223 N 4645726
This Rhode Island Historical Marker briefly describes life in and around the Ashton Mill along an eastern bank of the Blackstone River in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The marker is on the opposite river bank in Lincoln, RI by the Kelly House Museum.
Waymark Code: WM10AJ2
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 04/02/2019
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This Rhode Island Historical Marker briefly describes life in and around the Ashton Mill along an eastern bank of the Blackstone River in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The marker and a scenic view of the building is accessible via a Blackstone River Bikeway pedestrian and bicycle bridge on the opposite river bank in Lincoln, RI by the Captain Wilbur Kelly House Transportation Museum.
Following current design standards, the plaque is mounted between a pair of dark brown legs of square metal stock which are angled at back at the top. A colorized black-and-white photo of mill workers looking directly towards the camera serves as the background. The image caption is: "These wokrkers made cotton cloth in Ashton Mill around 1910." The marker reads:
Heart of the Village
Starting in 1867, the brick mill before you spawned a community that grew to span both sides of the Blackstone River. Men and women of all ages operated the massive looms inside Ashton Mill.
Many of the employees were first-generation immigrants for whom this work was a step up from other options, such as farming and hard manual labor. Although the hours were long, the pay was relatively good, and housing and some education were included.
From the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Ashton Village web page:
The Village of Ashton was created by the Lonsdale Company in the mid-1800s. One of Rhode Island’s largest textile companies, Lonsdale owned and opereated three distinct villages along the Blackstone River: Lonsdale, Ashton, and Berkley. Every aspect of these self-contained villages – the mill, the workers dwellings, houses, and public buildings was created by the Lonsdale Company.
When you cross over the bridge from Blackstone River State Park to visit Ashton, discover the mill built by the Lonsdale Company in 1867. In 1941, Owens Corning Fiberglas took over the mill, making many products including cloth for the Apollo missions’ space suits. Today, the Mill has been converted into residential apartments.