Lancaster Mills

Lancaster Mills is a large textile mill complex in Clinton, Massachusetts, set along the Nashua River at the head of the Wachusett Reservoir. Begun in 1844 by the Bigelow brothers, it grew through several building campaigns into a group of brick mills, shops, a storehouse and an octagonal office, ranging from one to seven stories. Mill No. 1, the weaving mill, dominates the site; it is a vast one-story building whose roof and floor are carried by separate structural systems. Later additions include the 1910 reinforced-concrete Amory Mill and a seven-story concrete and brick cotton store house of about 1920 to 1922, both associated with the engineering firm Lockwood, Greene & Co. Engineer John Chipman Hoadley helped build many early structures. The mills employed many women and immigrant workers before closing around 1931. Colonial Press later used the complex until 1977, and it then stood vacant until 1981. The site is also considered likely to hold historic archaeological remains from earlier mills and water-power works.