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

Natick. Mill 1852-73

Natick. Mill 1852-73

Providence Public Library

Image shows a mill in the mill village of Natick, Rhode Island. the building is beyond a fence on a hill in the foreground.

Moscow. Mill Tenement c. 1847

Moscow. Mill Tenement c. 1847

Providence Public Library

Image shows mill tenement house built circa 1847 in the mill village of Moscow in Hopkinton, Rhode Island. In the foreground, the lower portion of another building's facade and porch are seen.

Morgan Mills. Mill c. 1840

Morgan Mills. Mill c. 1840

Providence Public Library

Image shows a mill built circa 1840 in the mill village of Morgan Mills in Johnston, Rhode Island.

Morgan Mills - Rear

Morgan Mills - Rear

Providence Public Library

Image shows the rear of a house built circa 1820 in the mill village of Morgan Mills in Johnston, Rhode Island.

Morgan Mills - Interior of kitchen c/, 1820

Image shows the interior of the dilapidated kitchen in a house built circa 1820 in the mill village of Morgan Mills in Johnston, Rhode Island. A cooking hearth to the left has been walled up.

Morgan Mills - Front c. 1820

Morgan Mills - Front c. 1820

Providence Public Library

Image shows the front of a house built circa 1820 in the mill village of Morgan Mills in Johnston, Rhode Island.

Mohegan. Mill House c. 1860

Mohegan. Mill House c. 1860

Providence Public Library

Image shows housing built circa 1860 in the mill village of Mohegan in Burrillville, Rhode Island. A boy is standing on the front step of the right exterior door and a little girl is playing in the yard.

Mohegan. Mill House c. 1855

Mohegan. Mill House c. 1855

Providence Public Library

Image shows a house built circa 1855 in the mill village of Mohegan in Burrillville, Rhode Island.

Mohegan. Mill House c. 1810-15

Mohegan. Mill House c. 1810-15

Providence Public Library

Image shows a house built circa 1810-15 in the mill village of Mohegan in Burrillville, Rhode Island. Four children are playing outside the house. Part of a Coca-Cola sign is seen at far right.

Masonville. Mill House c. 1870

Masonville. Mill House c. 1870

Providence Public Library

Image shows housing built circa 1870 in the mill village of Nasonville in Rhode Island. A boy is reclining on the hill in front of the building. Several other buildings are in the background.

Manville. Village early 1870s

Manville. Village early 1870s

Providence Public Library

Image shows the mill village of Manville built in the early 1870s in in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The housing in the foreground has a street sign on it that reads Lippitt Lane"."

Manville. Multiple Mill Dwellings. C. 1860-70

Image shows housing built circa 1860-70 in the mill village of Manville in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The view shows an island of trees and plants between two rows of housing. There are several cars parked behind the island and alongside the housing. In center right, there are two women walking away with a child in front of them.

Manville. Multiple Dwelling early 1870s

Image shows housing built in the early 1870s in the mill village of Manville in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Four children are outside the building. A mailbox is mounted to the left of each of the six visible exterior doors.

Manville. Mill House Doorway c. 1825 (probably 1826)

Image shows the exterior front door of a house built circa 1825 (probably 1826) in the mill village of Manville in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Mailboxes are mounted on both sides of the door and there are two boot-scrapers on the top step. The numerals 25 are above the door.

Lymansville. Mill c. 1845

Lymansville. Mill c. 1845

Providence Public Library

Image shows mill built circa 1845 in mill village of Lymansville in North Providence, Rhode Island.

Lonsdale. View of Mill Village c. 1870

Image shows a row of housing built circa 1870 in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Laundry on several clotheslines is blowing in the wind.

Lonsdale. Rear View of Houses c. 1890

Lonsdale. Rear View of Houses c. 1890

Providence Public Library

Image shows the rear of a row of housing built circa 1890 in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. There are two children in the grass and several clotheslines of laundry in the background. A small structure that may be an outhouse is in the foreground.

Lonsdale. Mill Houses. Rear 1860s

Lonsdale. Mill Houses. Rear 1860s

Providence Public Library

Image shows the rear of housing built in the 1860s in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Several clotheslines of laundry are seen.

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1890s

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1890s

Providence Public Library

Image shows a row of housing built in the 1890s in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1860s

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1860s

Providence Public Library

Image shows housing built in the 1860s in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. A man and a woman sit on the front stairs of a building and a little girl is leaning over in front of them.

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1853

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1853

Providence Public Library

Image shows housing built in 1853 in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Sign on a utility pole reads "Lonsdale Ave". There's a car parked on the street at far right. On the corner of the house, there's a sign perpendicular to street that reads "Scott St".

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1853

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1853

Providence Public Library

Image shows housing built in 1853 in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1853

Lonsdale. Mill Houses 1853

Providence Public Library

Image shows housing built in 1853 in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Windows at far left have striped awnings.

Lonsdale. Mill House 1832

Lonsdale. Mill House 1832

Providence Public Library

Image shows a house built in 1832 in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Two girls are looking out the door on the right. The windows on the right side of the house have striped awnings. The numerals 115 and 113 are over the doors.

Lonsdale. Mill House - Detail 1832

Lonsdale. Mill House - Detail 1832

Providence Public Library

Image shows two exterior side-by-side doors on a house built in 1832 in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. The numeral 127 is beside the left door and the number 125 is beside the right door.

Lonsdale. Ann and Hope Mill 1886

Lonsdale. Ann and Hope Mill 1886

Providence Public Library

Image shows railroad tracks and a train station in the foreground. Behind the station is the Ann & Hope Mill built in 1886 in the mill village of Lonsdale in Lincoln, Rhode Island. A car is parked outside the train station. The mill's tower features a clock and a sign that reads "Ann & Hope 1886".

Locustville. Mill House c. 1845

Locustville. Mill House c. 1845

Providence Public Library

Image shows house built circa 1845 in the mill village of Locustville in Hope Valley in Hopkinton, Rhode Island. A sign in one window reads "Humphrey's Homeopathic Remedies". Hardware on window frame and dirt patterns on the clapboard indicate there had been shutters on the lower windows.