On November 12th ACM is opening our new exhibition—Aperture on Amesbury: Then and Now, which showcases the stunning transformation of Amesbury’s downtown. Starting from an early industrial town built up along the Powow River, to a heavy industrial city spreading from Upper to Lower Millyards and into Carriage Hill, and finally to a post-industrial shopping center.

Taking a look at these three views of Amesbury’s Upper Millyard, focused on Mill 2 over the years, shows us how much industry changed the city, and how much evidence of Amesbury’s industrial past has vanished from the landscape.

In 1839 William Barber drew this view of Amesbury. The large mill in the center is Mill 2, the current location of the Industry History Center, with its original roof as well as a cupola on the top of the stair tower. This view today would be from the Upper Millyard side of the building—looking right at the Industrial History Center. The green countryside that was not far from the city center are all also visible in this early view.

By 1914 the early city is almost unrecognizable. Mill 2, from the High Street side, is almost lost in a sea of mill buildings. Mill 8, even larger than Mill 2, forms the other side of the Upper Millyard. An aerial walkway between the two buildings, used to move raw materials between them is visible. There’s no question that Amesbury at this time was a place of industry—textiles, carriages, automobiles and more.

This last image of the Upper Millyard, taken by photographer Su Bailey during ACM’s yearly photography tour of Amesbury, shows how the greenery of the early 1800s has made a come back even as the majority of the mill buildings visible in 1914 are now gone from the city. The transformation has been truly amazing.