The Industrial History Center will be open on Saturday, November 13th from 10 AM to 5 PM for Amesbury's Open Studios event.

Take a fun trolley ride around Amesbury to visit artist studios and businesses who are showcasing artwork. Get off at Market Square or High Street to visit us at Mill 2 in the Upper Millyard.

We have the following programs for children and adults. (Note: Saturday only.)

Aperture on Amesbury - a community exhibit showcasing photographs taken during a walking tour of historic Carriage Hill. Managed by Bonnie Brady and curated by Courtney Jordan, this exhibit offers a beautiful glimpse into the remnants of Amesbury's once thriving carriage trade.

Weaving Activities for Kids - Weave a small square using colorful chenille in order to explore the act of weaving as well as play with color and pattern.

Make a small basket using twine and a paper cup in order to practice hand skills that would have been crucial in life 150 years ago.

Why have weaving activities at the IHC?

These hands-on activities, like most of what we plan to offer in the year ahead, are inspired by Amesbury's past. Weaving cloth, along with the other steps necessary to make textiles like carding, spinning, and dyeing using machines powered by water, was part of industry in Amesbury for over 100 years during the 1800s. It was important to the economic growth of the town.

The building IHC occupies today - Mill 2, built by the Salisbury Manufacturing Company - was a textile mill, making basic wool and cotton cloth like flannel. This mill was powered by water from the Powow River, diverted through a channel dug under the millyard to the basement of this building.

By 1850, the textile industry dominated the mills along the Powow River. About 800 men and women were employed in textile mills, 1/8th of the population at that time. But competition from larger corporations in the South and Midwest ultimately drove Amesbury's smaller companies out of business. The Hamilton Company factory in this building closed its doors in 1921, the last of its kind in Amesbury.