{"nrhp_refnum":"83000726","name":"Union Mills","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Pleasant St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fall River","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.69557628100006,"lon":-71.14162903899995,"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":"Union Mills is a textile mill complex on Pleasant Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, on the east side of the Quequechan River. The first granite mill dates from 1859, with later mills added in 1865 and 1878.","why_significant":"It is one of the earliest surviving mills in Fall River and was the first built above the falls, made possible by steam power. It is associated with Josiah Brown, an early professional mill designer, and reflects the monumental granite mill architecture of its period. It also represents post-war industrial expansion.","narrative":"Union Mills is a textile mill complex on Pleasant Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Its first building, a granite mill of 1859, is among the oldest surviving mills in the city. It was one of the first to run on steam and the first built above the falls of the Quequechan River, since waterfall sites were already taken. Josiah Brown designed it, assisted by Wm. C. Davol. A second granite mill followed in 1865, and a brick mill in 1878. In 1890 the buildings were given an added upper story and bracketed cornice. The company was the first in Fall River financed by community stock subscriptions. Its Corliss engine allowed exhaust steam to heat the buildings, a first locally. Production peaked after World War I with about 900 workers, and the mills closed in 1929. Nine buildings remain, mostly granite. Today they house retail space, light manufacturing and storage.","period_of_significance":"1859-1890","architect_builder":"Josiah Brown (assisted by Wm. C. Davol)","architectural_style":"Narrow mill type of granite construction, vaguely reflective of Italianate influences","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Buildings are presently used for retail space, light manufacturing and storage; the mill closed in 1929.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.675036-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/23/7897/63789723/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000726.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000726/0fcaff4ec8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000726/0fcaff4ec8-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Union_Mill_No_2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Union_Mill_No_2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789723","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Mills_(Fall_River,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7885844"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/union-mills-83000726/"}