Montgomery Worsted Mills

The Montgomery Worsted Mills, which today are referred to as scarce Montgomery Mills, are water mills in the Wallkill River. You are at the end of Factory Street in the Village of Montgomery in Orange County, New York. The construction of the mills was one of the first attempts in the region to use the river water for industrial purposes available.

The founders Arthur Patchett and William Crabtree became wealthy through the mill operation and outstanding citizens of the town in which they lived. Many of the houses in the adjacent portion of the street were built by them for family members, and the descendants of the two still live in the area around Montgomery. The mills are still in operation, although they are no longer in possession of these families today. They are used today primarily the generation of electrical energy by water power, but also the worsted production.

Description

The mill plant today consists of a masonry brick main building, which runs north- south aligned along the riverbank. A right angle thereto built wing, which reaches partly over the weir and the mill stream is three storeys and houses the turbines. Another wing, which also runs from east to west, taking on offices and storerooms. A second brick building, which is slightly higher on the hill, is rented to a business enterprise. A stable, chronologically the second oldest building of the estate, located just downstream in the adjacent forest.

Factory Street at the mill to a dirt road leading to the buildings of the complex. Formerly included two accommodations for employees at the mill located uphill edge of the property to it; they were demolished in the late 1940s.

History

The river is dammed in the amount of the mill since at least the 18th century. On the shore opposite the mill was a wheat mill, as John Miller in 1813 investors for his project, first the construction of a spinning mill, was looking for. It was one of the first attempts to use the river's water industry. At that time the wool was delivered directly by local sheep farmers and processed in the mill. The project failed before the mill was able to resume work, and until about 1870 it was on the site of any major changes. Then bought a British immigrants the property: Edmund Ackroyd added a three -story annex. Ten years later bought William Crabtree and Arthur Patchett, the mill facility and focused at the expense of weaving on the worsted spinning. They built a store at 1897 South Colden Street in Newburgh, as in Montgomery labor was scarce.

On election day of 1891, November 3, burned the factory down to its foundations. Then the current, approximately 4,500 m², this building was built instead. It took 1892 on the operation. The branch in Newburgh was also destroyed on May 23, 1900 by fire.

Patchett died in late 1901, Crabtree took his five sons in 1902 as a partner in the company on. He died a year later on a trip to England. The sons each built a house located on the hillside above the mill. These buildings, which were later used by mill workers, are only partially.

The Crabtree 's sons built the mill in 1906 by expanding the southern wing to set up looms can. The previously existing there offices were moved to the new north wing, where there is also space for sorting, scouring and carding were. Eight years later, the weir was modified so that it crossed the river in a straight line, and not, as previously, angled. After World War II, the plant was expanded again. Before the mid-1920s, the Wallkill Valley Railroad built a rail line that crosses the Factory Street near the mill, whereby the distribution channel was accelerated for the produced goods. Also replaced the horse-drawn wagon carts.

In 1922 the mill was redesigned again in large scale. It was a new wing for packaging and sorting of the goods; in Newburgh, a new factory building was purchased on South William Street. However, these investments could not ensure that the company survived the Great Depression. So it was sold to the family Steinberger from New York City that owns it since then. In the late 1940s were the houses, which were the property of the mill workers previously demolished because they were no longer needed and their conversation was too expensive. The owners relocated to the generation of electricity and sell today a power output of 250 kilowatts to the CH Energy Group ( " Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation " and "Central Hudson Enterprises Corporation "). It also continues to be sold before worsted. A portion of the available space is rented.