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Pemberton Mill

1853 establishments in Massachusetts1860 disasters in the United States1860 disestablishments in MassachusettsBuildings and structures demolished in 1860Buildings and structures in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Collapsed buildings and structures in the United StatesDisasters in Lawrence, MassachusettsHistory of Essex County, MassachusettsIndustrial accidents and incidents in the United StatesIndustrial buildings completed in 1853January 1860 eventsTextile mills in the United States
PembertonMill
PembertonMill

The Pemberton Mill was a large factory in Lawrence, Massachusetts. It suddenly collapsed and occupants were crushed or burned alive on January 10, 1860, in what has been called "the worst industrial accident in Massachusetts history" and "one of the worst industrial calamities in American history." An estimated 88 to 145 workers were killed and 166 injured.Investigators attributed the disaster to substandard construction that was then drastically overloaded with second-floor equipment, all evident and preventable. The event was cited in improvements to industrial construction and workplace safety. The mill was soon rebuilt in place.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Pemberton Mill (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Pemberton Mill
Canal Street, Lawrence

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N 42.705555555556 ° E -71.154444444444 °
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Pemberton Mill

Canal Street 216
01842 Lawrence
Massachusetts, United States
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PembertonMill
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Wood Worsted Mill
Wood Worsted Mill

The Wood Worsted Mill is located at South Union St. and Merrimack Street, on the south bank of the Merrimack River, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The mill building was constructed between 1906 and 1909 for the American Woolen Company, and was dubbed by some locals as the "eighth wonder of the world" due to its size. It is a six-story brick building that is 1,300 feet (400 m) long and 125 feet (38 m) high, and encompasses some 17 miles (27 km) of aisles. Its purpose when built was to perform the complete textile manufacturing cycle of worsted woolens, from raw material to finished fabric, under a single roof.The surviving mill elements include the main building and a portion of a storehouse. The storehouse is a seven-story brick building located just east of the main building, of which approximately half remains from its original construction. The two sections (of an original four) were demolished in 2009, along with a number of other structures in the complex, including sections of the main mill building.The main mill building as it now stands is divided into four parts, featuring Romanesque Revival styling executed in brick with granite and cast stone detailing. The first is an office section, which protrudes from the main body. Like the main part of the building it is six stories, but is topped by a clock tower. The other three sections were originally labelled D, E, and F, and extend eastward from the office. Section D is 33 window bays, E is 42, and F 45 window bays in length. There are three stairwell towers that interrupt the pier-and-spandrel construction of the length of the building on its south (street-facing) elevation. These stairhouses are where entry is gained to the premises, through doorways recessed under arches. The north facade, facing the river, is uniformly window bays, broken only by wrought iron fire escapes and a few bricked-up bays where the building was connected to the demolished A, B, and C sections via covered bridges over a railroad spur.The mill complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 12, 2010. At the time of the listing, section D was being converted to residential housing.