{"nrhp_refnum":"96000474","name":"Gloucester Net and Twine Company","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Maplewood Ave., SE jct. of Maplewood Ave. and Grove St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gloucester","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.62106055900006,"lon":-70.66804878499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-04-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An industrial complex on Maplewood Avenue at Grove Street in Gloucester, Massachusetts, built in 1884. It has a three-story wood-frame main mill building, a brick power house, and a 1920s brick office wing.","why_significant":"The complex is tied to the late 19th and early 20th century growth of Gloucester's fisheries, which created strong demand for nets and lines. It is also one of the city's best-preserved examples of industrial architecture, since most comparable buildings have been lost or heavily altered. Its inland site and railroad spur set it apart from other net makers and supported national and international distribution.","narrative":"Built in 1884 at Maplewood Avenue and Grove Street in Gloucester, this former net and twine factory includes a three-story wood-frame main building with a low-pitched roof and a four-story entry tower. Behind it stand a brick power house with a square smokestack and, in the southwest corner, a stylish 1920s brick office wing. The company was one of the city's largest manufacturers, supplying lines, nets and seines to the fishing fleet and shipping them across the United States, to Canada and to Europe. A railroad spur let it operate inland, unlike most net makers near the harbor, and many young women worked its knitting machines. Ownership passed to American Net & Twine in 1919 and to the Linen Thread Co. in 1934, which stayed until 1960. The site has remained in industrial use since. It is notable both for its role in Gloucester's fishing economy and as a well-preserved industrial building among many lost ones.","period_of_significance":"1884-1945","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Italianate","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Has remained in industrial use since the Linen Thread Co. left in 1960; current occupants include a leather goods maker and an awning and sail firm. The ropewalks and sheds were removed around 1960.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.647678-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/56/7901/63790156/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/96000474.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000474/ff858fe5bc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000474/ff858fe5bc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GloucesterMA_GloucesterNetAndTwineCompany.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GloucesterMA_GloucesterNetAndTwineCompany.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790156","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester_Net_and_Twine_Company","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5572068"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/gloucester-net-and-twine-company-96000474/"}