Farnumsville, Grafton MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 10.482 W 071° 40.721
19T E 278757 N 4672646
Along Route 122 in Grafton is a sign about the old village of Farnumsville and the mill that still stands there.
Waymark Code: WM4M2A
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 09/04/2008
Views: 16
Along Route 122 in Grafton is a sign about the old mill town of Farnumsville. This freestanding sign states:
"Farnumsville Grafton, MA
"A Company Town
"Farnumsville began as a company town established to serve the various mills located here beginning in the early 1800s. Its layout and architecture reflect the choices of mill owners, whose absolute power affected virtually every aspect of the town and the people who lived there. The smaller, wooden tenements for workers and the spacious southside houses of the owners speak to the ecomonic lines that separated labor from management.
"Farnumsville was designed for work, and most of its core economic and social institutions were controlled by the mill owner. Civic and religious organizations - such as churches and a library - were located outside the village center. The mill itself was a powerful force in Farnumsville, producing woolens (which used all the wool fibers) and worsteds (which used only the longer fibers).
"Today, the Blackstone River still generates power here via a turbine generator. When water is plentiful, the mill turbine generates enough power to fuel all the activities at the mill. But when the river is low in the summer, or frozen in the winter, power is harder to generate - a problem that has plaqued mills in the last century as well. However, today the mill can turn to alternative sources of energy.
"Efforts to rennovate the town's 19th century firehouse (circa 1853) and other downtown areas are helping restore the unified, close-knit feeling that predominated during Farnumsville's years as a mill village."
The mill building is off Route 122 down Depot Street. From the bridge over the river on Depot Street you can see the dilapidated wooden dam. The mill is now used by a storage company.
Agency Responsible for Placement: Other (Place below)
Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Blackstone River Valley National Corridor
County: Worcester
City/Town Name: Grafton
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
Year Placed: Not listed
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