- Boott Mills
The Boott Mills in
Lowell, Massachusetts are an early Americancotton mill , parts of which date to 1835. Their namesake isKirk Boott , a pivotal character in early Lowell.Running off of
hydropower , the original operation consisted of four gable-rooved brick mill buildings. Eventually, floors were added giving them flat rooves, the buildings were connected by stairtowers and clocktowers, and other buildings were added to the complex as well. Steam power and electric power were eventually introduced.The New England textile industry was in decline by
World War I and collapsed afterWorld War II ; the Boott Mills ceased operations in 1958. In the late 1970s, they became a key component of theLowell National Historical Park , largely because the complex stood virtually whole, unlike other complexes which had suffered fires, or selective or wholesale demolition, like the olderMerrimack Manufacturing Company . Additionally, the Boott Mill still contains buildings dating from the 1830s, as well as containing new structures, dating closer to 1900. As such, it is a catalog of industrial development over that time period.Today, the Boott Mills are an excellent example of adaptive re-use; they contain the National Park weave room exhibit, condos, apartments, and offices. Rennovations of certain buildings still continues. A single row of Mill girl housing, built for the early operatives under the
Lowell System , still stands after an extensive rennovation, and features exhibits as well.External Links
[http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ma1289 Library of Congress archives on the Boott Mills]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
