Exploring Mill 4 – A River Once Ran Through It

by John Mayer
ACM Executive Director

A view of the round hole in the foundation of Mill 4 as seen from Mill Street. (John Mayer photo.)

Our study of Amesbury industrial history draws on many source materials. Maps, photographs, written histories, newspaper articles, trade catalogs, census records and other collection materials held in libraries or museums are all invaluable for our studies. And of course, physical evidence – particularly the buildings and materials produced – are even more important.

Any history project begins with one question. And then, before you know it, you have discovered many new topics that you would like to explore. The story of Mill 4 at 21 Water Street, and the round hole in the building’s foundation, provides a great example of how one question leads to another. As part of our research, the ACM’s Industrial Survey Team went deep into the basement of this building to literally “explore” this question.

View of Mill 4 at 21 Water St. (John Mayer photo.)

Mill 4 is one of Amesbury’s most distinctive industrial buildings. Built beginning in 1853, this five-story building is located in the lower millyard at the end of the run of the Powow River. A close look at the building from Mill Street, you will notice a round hole – probably 8 feet in diameter - in the upstream side of the foundation. We asked ourselves – what is this for? Following is some of what we have learned.

The Story of Mill 4

Detail of Mill 4 brick and granite with a weathered window frame. (John Mayer photo.)

Mill 4, located at 21 Water Street, is one of Amesbury’s most distinctive industrial buildings. Built beginning in 1853 by the Salisbury Manufacturing Company, this five-story building is located in the lower millyard at the end of the run of the Powow River. Originally it was a textile mill. Today the building is a business incubator with a diverse variety of businesses.

The building is 200 feet long by 50 feet wide, five stories tall, with a small two- story ell on the down-river end. The original gable roof with dormers remains intact. The foundation is made with cut granite blocks and the walls are brick.

Several newspaper articles found in the Amesbury Newspaper Archive (available on-line through the Amesbury Public Library website) provide very interesting details about the construction of the mill.

The foundation of Mill 4 showing the circular opening where Powow River water entered for powering a turbine in the basement. The step-like square openings are sockets for securing the timbers of a dam, which raised the water level above the opening to assure flow to the turbine. (John Mayer photo.)

On March 31, 1853, the Amesbury Villager reported “Mr. Dorby intends to manufacture his own bricks with which to build the new factory.” And later, on July 9, 1853, the paper reported “the lumber to frame the factory… is being sawed at the Powow River Co. sawmill.” And on July 28, 1853, the paper added the name of “Messrs. Morrill and Wigglesworth, of Newburyport, both of them energetic builders” as contractors for part of the project.

These details are exactly the sorts of new information that inspires more research. We were thrilled to learn the bricks were made on site and that the lumber was sawn in a mill on the Powow River. We were also able to add more names to the roster of people who shaped the landscape.

Water Power

Kilburn-type turbine probably similar to the turbine that once generated power in the basement of Mill 4.(Illustration from the ASME website.)

The building was completed sometime in 1854 and served as a textile mill, owned first by the Salisbury Manufacturing Company and then the Hamilton Woolen Company. Located on the banks of Powow River at the site of the lower dam, the mill drew water from the river to power a turbine in the basement.

A close look at the building from Mill Street, reveals a round hole – probably 8 feet in diameter – in the upstream side of the foundation. This hole served as the intake for water used to power the turbine. The square holes that step up the foundation were sockets for timbers used for the lower dam.

Weave Room in Mill 4, ca. 1905. This view shows a weave room in Mill 4 with the overhead shafts and pulleys and the leather belts that provided power for every machine. Initially, the turbine provided the power for this system. In later years, electric motors served as a back-up source of power when water levels were not adequate. (Courtesy Amesbury Public Library, Community History Collection.)

Members of the Industrial Survey Team prepare to enter the basement of Mill 4. (John Mayer photo.)

An 1878 description of the Salisbury Manufacturing Company provides even more details about the turbine, listed as an “84 inch Kilburn turbine wheel”. The Kilburn Company of Fall River, Mass., began making turbines in 1846, supplying mills throughout New England. (The company archives are at the Baker Library at Harvard University – providing yet another resource to investigate.)

Members of the Survey Team in the Mill 4 basement. (John Mayer photo.)

Water enters through the large pipe (called a penstock) and is directed over the turbine blades (like a waterwheel on its side), powering a gear system that runs the machinery in a mill. The water then flows through a tailrace and is directed back to the river.

We Were Curious

View of the brick wall and stone piers. (Frank Gurczak photo.)

As the Survey Team learned more about the mill, we wanted to investigate and see if any of the power system remained. We contacted the building owner and were invited to tour the basement. On a Friday afternoon in November – we took the tour.

Our investigation revealed some surprises and some disappointments. Over the years the basement and foundation structures had been modified and strengthened for contemporary use. New concrete blocked access to areas where the power systems had been. Still in place was the tailrace that carried water away from the turbine and evidence of the early construction methods. A ten-foot wide channel was flooded with river water, and elegant brick arches supported building walls.

Happy members of the Industrial Survey Team after the basement tour. (Frank Gurczak photo.)

The tour of the Mill 4 basement revealed some important details about mill construction and how mills in Amesbury drew water from the Powow River for power. The circular opening supplied water that flowed through a penstock to the turbine. The water then flowed through a carefully made tailrace that led back to the river. Local builders manufactured the bricks used in the building in site. They acquired their lumber from a nearby sawmill. Their workmanship was on view in the stone and brick work still intact.

For almost four years, our survey group has been assembling a history of the Amesbury millyard and other industrial sites in the city. We have completely enjoyed the research process. With every discovery, we reveal new areas for future research. Please contact the museum if you would like to know more.

Best wishes for the holidays.

John Mayer
Executive Director