Salmon Falls Manufacturing Records

The Salmon Falls Manufacturing Company was organized in 1822. The company produced woolen and cotton goods until being burned down in 1834. The firm was re-organized in 1844 manufacturing cotton drillings and sheetings. By 1848, the mill was so prosperous they built another with sixteen thousand spindles. Another fire at the first mill in 1864, prompted owners to rebuild and enlarge it to contain fifteen thousand spindles. In 1876, improvements on the two mills added more spindles, and by 1877, the mills were producing almost 9 million yards of cotton fabric annually. The company utilized water-power from two dams along the Salmon Falls River to operate the 54,304 spindles and 1,143 looms of the mills. The firm laid out the town of Salmon Falls to house and serve the hundreds of workers employed at the mills.