Chase's, Oliver, Thread Mill
Also known as: Mt. Hope Mill; Conanicut Mill
Why it's listed
Granite ruins and a small Greek Revival office at 505 Bay Street, Fall River, mark the site of Oliver Chace's Thread Mill, probably built in 1840. An 1854 engraving shows a 3½-story gabled mill, 195 by 45 feet, with a small cupola. Today the basement and first story remain, built of random rubble granite with heavily parged joints and cut granite lintels. The stucco-covered office is a three-bay, gable-front building with a trabeated granite doorway. Chace ran the business until the Mount Hope Mill Company took over in 1867. The mill shut down in 1878, and in 1880 it reopened as Conanicut Mills, which operated until 1926 and by 1920 had 29,408 spindles and 776 broad looms. Water power from a canal supplemented steam and electricity. Local historians attribute the ruined state to time rather than fire. The site is considered the oldest remaining textile manufactory in the city and the only surviving example of this early mill period.
Significance in brief: The ruins are fragments of the oldest remaining textile manufactory in Fall River, and the office is the city's earliest surviving mill office. As the only remaining examples of the early mill period, they meet Criteria A and C.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83000649, listed February 16, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 505 Bay St., Fall River |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | February 16, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000649 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Oliver Chace (builder of the mill) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (office building); random rubble granite mill |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mill is in ruins, covered with vines; abandoned for over fifty years. A 1982 owner letter says the owner needs the property for his business. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Coordinates | 41.69390, -71.17704 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83000649.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14715798
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.