Rhode Island Mills and Mill Villages Photograph Collection

This collection is comprised of negatives, glossy photographic prints, and oversized photographic prints of mills and mill villages within Rhode Island. All of the photographs were taken by Joseph McCarthy as a Federal Works Agency project, a part of the WPA, in 1940 and given to the Providence Public Library as part of the Nickerson Architectural Collection that same year. A written reference work listing the prints and including an essay of the various architectural styles seen in the photographs was written by Samuel Green to accompany the collection and is held within the Rhode Island Collection.
This collection is part of Providence Public Library Digital Collections, hosted by Providence Public Library.

Items in this collection

Quidnick. Mill 1848

Quidnick. Mill 1848

Providence Public Library

Image shows stone mill built in 1848 in the mill village of Quidnick in Coventry, Rhode Island. There are two cars parked to the left.

Quidnick. Boarding House c. 1847

Quidnick. Boarding House c. 1847

Providence Public Library

Image shows a boarding house built circa 1847 in the mill village of Quidnick in Coventry, Rhode Island. Four exterior doors are seen along the length of the building.

Providence. Franklin Machine Co. 1850s

Image shows the Franklin Machine Company built in 1850s in Providence, Rhode Island. There is a row of parked cars on the paved street outside the building.

Providence. Fletcher Manufacturing Co. 1866

Image shows the Fletcher Manufacturing Company mill built in 1866 in Providence, Rhode Island. Several cars are parked in front of the building inside a fence. A sign on the other side of the fence reads "No Parking This Side".

Providence. Atlantic Co. 1851

Providence. Atlantic Co. 1851

Providence Public Library

Image shows Atlantic Company mill built in 1851 in Providence, Rhode Island. Across the paved street from the mill is an apartment building with retail on the ground floor. Folded awnings are above the two visible display windows. "Eddie's Meat Market" is painted over the closest awning and below that window, parts of the words "Grocery" and "Dairy" are painted. Parked cars and a van line the street.

Potters Hill. Stone Mill c. 1840

Potters Hill. Stone Mill c. 1840

Providence Public Library

Image shows a stone mill built circa 1840 in the village of Potters Hill in Westerly, Rhode Island. There are three cars and a motorcycle parked outside the building.

Phoenix. Mill House c. 1810-20

Phoenix. Mill House c. 1810-20

Providence Public Library

Image shows the back of a house built circa 1810-20 in the mill village of Phenix in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Clotheslines of laundry are hanging from windows in the second story. There is a car parked beside the house.

Phoenix. Mill 1883 Houses c. 1815

Phoenix. Mill 1883 Houses c. 1815

Providence Public Library

Image shows the mill built in 1883 and the rear of housing built circa 1815 in the mill village of Phenix in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Clotheslines of laundry are hanging from windows in the second stories of the houses.

Phenix. Mill Office 1882

Phenix. Mill Office 1882

Providence Public Library

Image shows a mill office built in 1882 in the mill village of Phenix in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The building is on a paved road. A sign on a fence to the right of the building reads "No Parking This Side / Police Dept". Other buildings are seen in the background.

Peacedale. Hazard Mill 1847

Peacedale. Hazard Mill 1847

Providence Public Library

Image shows Hazard Mill built in 1847 in the mill village of Peacedale in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Some of the building is covered in ivy and there is a car parked at the bottom of the photo.

Pawtucket. Wilkinson Mill 1810

Pawtucket. Wilkinson Mill 1810

Providence Public Library

Image shows Wilkinson Mill built 1810 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. There's a brick building to the left, a stone building at center, and a clapboard building at right. Three cars are parked between the buildings.

Pascoag. Sheffield Worsted Mill 1859

Pascoag. Sheffield Worsted Mill 1859

Providence Public Library

Image shows the Sheffield Worsted Mill built in 1859 in the mill village of Pascoag in Burrillville, Rhode Island. Two tall ladders are leaning against the buildings.

Pascoag. Mill House c. 1845-50

Pascoag. Mill House c. 1845-50

Providence Public Library

Image shows housing built circa 1845-50 in the mill village of Pascoag in Burrillville, Rhode Island.

Pascoag. Frederick L. Sayles Mill. c. 1865

Images shows the Frederick L. Sayles mill built circa 1865 in the mill village of Pascoag in Burrillville, Rhode Island. The building features an ornate bell tower. A number of vehicles are parked in front of the building. A tower is standing atop a building to the left.

Oakland. Mill House c. 1850

Oakland. Mill House c. 1850

Providence Public Library

Image shows housing built circa 1845-50 in the mill village of Oakland in Burrillville, Rhode Island.

Oakland. Mill c. 1860

Oakland. Mill c. 1860

Providence Public Library

Image shows a mill built circa 1860 in the mill village of Oakland in Burrillville, Rhode Island. Trees on the banks of a body of water are in the foreground and the building is situated behind the water. Two men are seen sitting on a bench.

Newport. Perry Mill 1835

Newport. Perry Mill 1835

Providence Public Library

Image shows Perry Mill built 1835 in Newport, Rhode Island. The first floor has been converted into storefronts. The storefront on the right is occupied by Metropolitan Laundry & Dry Cleaning. There are signs advertising the business in two windows, above the door, and mounted to the building high above the storefront. A bicycle is parked in the bottom right corner of the photo. In the center of the building's facade, there is a marble stone engraved with "Perry Cotton ManG Co Erected 1835". There is a large half-circle window at the top of the facade.

Newport. Mill Houses 1835-37

Newport. Mill Houses 1835-37

Providence Public Library

Image shows attached homes built 1835-37 for mill workers in Newport, Rhode Island. There look to be six units. There is a car parked at left in front of the building.

Newport. Group of Mill Houses 1835-37

Newport. Group of Mill Houses 1835-37

Providence Public Library

Image shows the rear of housing built 1835-37 in Newport, Rhode Island. There are several clotheslines of laundry. A sizable body of water is seen in the background. The buildings are on a road paved with bricks.

Natick. View of Village. Most Houses 1860-70

Image shows the mill village of Natick in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Most of the housing was built 1860-70. The view depicts a built-up area seen from over a bridge. A man or boy has stopped to put his foot up on a railing between the street and the bridge edge.

Natick. Superintendent's House. C. 1850 (probably 1851)

Image shows a superintendent's house built circa 1850, probably 1851, in the mill village of Natick in West Warwick, Rhode Island. There are two people sitting on the front stairs and other buildings are seen in the background.

Natick. Mill Village Street Most Houses c. 1860

Image shows housing mostly built circa 1860 and a mill in the mill village of Natick in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The view is of a dirt road with the mill to the right and houses behind it along it on both sides of the road. The mill has many broken windows and a portion of the fence in front of it is falling over. Several cars are seen on the road in the background. There are two boys walking on a sidewalk in front of one of the houses.