The Early Industrial Period 1830-1870 (History of Chester) was the manufacturing heyday of North Chester. Here we have the North Chester Cotton Mill.

John Cook operated the mills making cotton thread, some linen, and brown sheeting for the next twenty-four years. The History of Western Massachusetts reported in 1855 that Cook’s mills used 80,000 lbs. of cotton, 100 cords of wood, 2,000 lbs. of starch, and 250 gallons of oil each year. From these raw materials, which cost $10,000, the mills employed forty people to produce 350,000 yards of fabric valued at $27,800. He eventually bought Selden Cone’s window shade business, which was reported in 1839 to earn $15,000 annually. #hikethehilltownhistory #chesterma

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