Queguechan Valley Mills Historic District

Six large textile mill complexes line the west bank of the Quequechan River where it meets South Watuppa Lake in Fall River. Built between 1882 and 1908, they were the last major industrial development in the city and form its largest concentration of late 19th and early 20th century mills. Most are built of rough granite blocks, with low-pitched roofs, bracketed cornices and large T-cross windows; the Stevens complex is brick. The mills grew wider over time, from 72 feet for the 1882 Barnaby Mill to 160 feet for the Davis Mills. Contractor Chauncy H. Sears built the Arkwright and Davis mills and part of the Stevens complex. The companies moved toward finer fabrics such as ginghams, satins and fancy cottons as southern competition grew. Several mills kept producing textiles longer than most in the city, into the 1940s and early 1950s. The district was recognized for this industrial role and for its monumental, largely intact granite architecture.