William Adams Textile Manufacturing Chronology

By William Adams Hunter

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• ·    1826 - William Adams Immigrates to New York City

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• ·    1829 - William Adams opens handloom in attic at West 4^th Street

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• ·    1832 - Formal business is started with a few handlooms at Waverly Street

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• ·    1840 - Constructed building at No. 28 Perry Street to meet expanding business needs

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• ·    1848 - Open salesroom at No. 38 Cedar Street, managed by Henry Adams at 12 years old

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• ·    1857 – Robert & Henry Adams are admitted to partnership

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• ·    1857 – Partners purchase and occupy Harmony Mills in Paterson, New Jersey with 60 hands

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• ·    1859 – Moved Dyeing and finishing departments from New York to Harmony Mills

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• ·    1862 – Firm organized under the name of William Adams & Co.

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• ·    1863 – Built a three-story extension on the rear, ninety-five feet deep

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• ·    1864 – William Adams retires at the age of 59 years

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• ·    1864 – Firm reorganized under the name of R. & H. Adams’ Mosquito-Netting

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• ·    1865 – Robert & Henry buy their father out of the business

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• ·    1869 – The entire Harmony Mill is burned to the ground at a loss of $100,000, had employed 250 hands

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• ·    1869 – Rebuilt Harmony Mills, forty-five by one hundred and ninety-feet, three stories high

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• ·    1870 – Purchase the old Essex Mill on Mill Street, just above Boudinot, and extended the buildings

• ·    1874 – Built a store-house, twenty-five by ninety feet, five stories high on Mill Street, opposite the Essex Mill

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• ·    1875 – The finishing house at the Harmony Mill was burned down, and was immediately replaced with brick

• ·    1876 – Added silk manufacture, first time fabrication of goods from two chief textiles, cotton and silk

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• ·    1877 – Purchased the old Industry Mill property, adjoining the Harmony Mill and replaced it with a brick building

• ·    1878 – Workers strike lasted seven months

• ·    1879 – Robert Adams sells out his interest in the Paterson Mills to Henry

Paterson Mill capacity:             Essex Mill - 17,032 spindles, 315 looms

                                                    Harmony Mill - 9024 spindles, 314 looms

                                                    Industry Mill - 8416 spindles, 200 looms

                                                    Paterson Mill Management:

                                                    Sole Proprietor – Henry Clay Adams

General Manager – William Adams, son of Henry Clay Adams

Superintendent – Thomas Abbott

• ·    1880 – Robert Adams builds a water-powered mill in Shelton, Connecticut under the name of Adams Manufacturing Company . The plant is known locally as the Derby Cotton Mills, and was located on Canal Street, north of Bridge Street.

Shelton Mill capacity:            17,000 spindles, 300 looms for $350,000 products per year

• ·    1890 – Henry Adams dies, R. & H. Adams, along with Paterson Mills are sold-off per his Last Will & Testament

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• ·    1903 – Shelton Mills “living from hand to mouth” in wake of a major coal strike in Pennsylvania (Bituminous Coal Scare)

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• ·    1904 – Robert Adams dies and leaves management of the firm to his son Robert Franklin, stock ownership divided to children

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• ·    1906 – Large addition to the Shelton plant

•  ???? – Robert Adams purchased cotton mill in North Scituate, Rhode Island

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• ·    1915 – Rhode Island legislation creates reservoir for Providence, which condemns North Scituate cotton mill

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• ·    1923 – Adams Manufacturing Co. purchased Nightingale-Morse Mill in Putnam, Connecticut and invested $100,000

   

  Connecticut Mills:  Putnam Mill – Weave material

                                          Shelton Mill – Finished material

  

The Shelton Mill Complex

• ·    1923 – Robert Franklin Adams dies suddenly at this home in Greenwich, Robert John is V.P. and Treasurer

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• ·    1930 – Company liquidates Putnam factory

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• ·    1937 – Adams Manufacturing files for bankruptcy

• ·    1938 – Robert John Adams dies suddenly at his home in New York City

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• ·    1939 – Fire destroys 3 four-story buildings of the Shelton complex

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• ·    1940 – Fire destroys one of the remaining five-story buildings at Shelton

• ·    1942 – The city of Shelton obtains title to the Putnam Mill in foreclosure action and sells it for $15,000

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• 1989 - The remaining former Adams mill building in Shelton burns down in an accidental fire.