Water Works/Birthplace of American Manufacturing - Pawtucket, Rhode Island - Rhode Island Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

The marker on the left has a background drawing of a cutaway view of a water-powered mill from the early 1800's.

Water Works

The water flowing through the millrace below you was brought here to do work. It was diverted from the Blackstone River on your right and will flow back into it downstream. Wilkinson Mill, the stone building on your left, shared this raceway with Slater Mill, the yellow building in the distance.

The water’s power is still captured at the Wilkinson Mill during live demonstrations. It pours over a water wheel. There, it fills “buckets” on the wheel. The weight of the water - 8.34 pounds per gallon - turns the wheel. Gears, shafts, and leather belts transmit that turning motion to machines in the building. Then, the energy of water is put to work, operating drills, looms and other equipment.

Caption #1:

Moving Motion
Bevel gears capture the turning motion of the wheel’s hub and transfer it in a different direction. The gears first move the power to a vertical shaft that extends to the upper floors of the factory.

Then gears shift the energy to overhead shafts. Pulleys and belts carry the power to individual machines throughout the building.

Caption #2: How is a River Like a Horse?
This water-powered mill provided the equivalent of 10 horsepower — about what it takes to run a lawnmower.

The companion marker is to the right. The main background image is a modern color photograph of a Park Ranger demonstrating a mill machine while a man looks on. A painted portrait of Samuel Slater and a spindle of yarn photo is set to the right edge. The text:

Birthplace of American Manufacturing

Samuel Slater came here from England in 1789. He had just finished a seven-seven-year apprenticeship at an English cotton mill, which gave him great knowledge of the water-powered spinning process developed over the previous two decades.

With the help of many Pawtucket artisans, Slater, William Almy, and Obediah Brown opened this water-powered cotton spinning mill four years later. The success of this mill triggered America’s Industrial Revolution. Slater managed the operation of the mill. His management strategies became the model for future mills to follow.

In this model, mills were small and often managed by their owners. Entire families, including children, were hired to operate the machines. These families depended on the owners to provide food and housing as well as wages.

The caption beneath Slater's portrait reads:

Spun Gold
The first mechanically-produced yarn was spooled onto spindles like this one. Slater eventually became a millionaire from his textile mills.

Organization that Placed the Marker: Not listed Year Marker was Placed: Not listed Related Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   05/28/2023 ORDIMIC visited it