Wilkinson Mill

Wilkinson Mill

The rubble stone Wilkinson Mill is located at Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark. It was the first mill in Rhode Island that had a backup steam power source - a steam engine built by David Wilkinson.

The Wilkinson Mill and Machine Shop was built by Pawtucket blacksmith Oziel Wilkinson in 1810. On the first floor was a machine shop. Here, machines and machine parts were designed and built for Slater Mill and other textile mills in the Blackstone River Valley. A textile mill ran on the upper two floors.

 

Portrait of David Wilkinson and a view of the Mill's Interior

Oziel’s son David Wilkinson made many inventions that transformed American life. The screw cutting lathe was one of David's most important contributions. This machine standardized the cutting of screw threads. Before it, all screws had to be cut by hand. Now identical screws could be mass produced by machine. This advancement really helped people when making machines.

Wilkinson also built power looms. These looms were manufactured earlier than the more famous Draper Looms. He also designed parts of the Middlesex Canal and other canal systems in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

 

People, Places and Stories

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  People

  Learn more about the people who helped influence the industrialization of the Blackstone River Valley

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  Places

  Learn more about the significant places situated in the Blackstone River Valley that spearheaded the American Industrial Revolution

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  Stories

  Learn about the stories that influenced the industrialization of the Blackstone River Valley