The Stanely Woolen Mill main office in early morning light. January, 2013.
The Blackstone River Corridor was the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution; textile mills sprang up like mushrooms in the 19th century, and ushered in a whole new class of workers. Exploitation was ubiquitous, and paved the way for labor laws and for unions to respond to unsafe and downright dangerous conditions. Currently there is a movement to reclaim and update these abandoned mills for office and residential space. The Stanley Woolen Mill in Uxbridge, MA has been undergoing a long refurbishing, and the building is slowly transforming.
Last year in January I had the pleasure of photographing this remarkable historic complex as part of a book: “Winter Along the Blackstone”, available on Amazon. My dear friend Susan Franz did the graphic design.