{"nrhp_refnum":"83000667","name":"Fall River Bleachery","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jefferson St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fall River","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.67255010050005,"lon":-71.14459701071222,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-02-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former textile bleaching complex in southern Fall River, Bristol County, Massachusetts, founded in 1872 on a site west of South Watuppa Pond, with ponds fed by Sucker Brook.","why_significant":"It was the first company in Fall River formed to carry out the specialized task of bleaching cloth. Its importance rests on that unique function and on the technology of its water supply system, which used created ponds, dams, pipes and filters. The nomination cites Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Fall River Bleachery is a mill complex in the southern part of Fall River, built from 1872 on what was originally a site of more than 50 acres near South Watuppa Pond. Spencer Borden, son of mill owner Jefferson Borden, organized the company after training in dyeing and applied chemistry. It was the first firm in the city devoted to bleaching cloth. The main building was designed by Walter J. Paine and built of granite quarried on the site. Its siting was driven by water: two five-acre ponds were created from Sucker Brook and a spring-fed stream, and the bleachery was excavated 13 feet below the pond level so water could flow into the machinery without pumping. Dams, pipes and filters of brick and gravel or charcoal kept the water pure. Later changes removed most early buildings and altered the main one, but the setting keeps a nearly rural quality. The corporation was liquidated in 1938, and the buildings now house light industry.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Walter J. Paine, architect; Slade W. Earle, masonry; Obadiah Pierce, carpentry and joinery; general plans by Spencer Borden","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Buildings are described as presently in light industrial use; the corporation was liquidated in 1938. Most original buildings are gone and the main building has been altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.764366-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/38/7897/63789738/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000667.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000667/355f0ced95-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000667/355f0ced95-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bleachery_Mill_FR.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bleachery_Mill_FR.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789738","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_River_Bleachery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5432073"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/fall-river-bleachery-83000667/"}