Saco-Lowell Shops
Encyclopedia
The Saco-Lowell Shops (later Saco-Lowell Corporation) was once one of the largest textile machine manufacturers in the United States
. It was formed in 1912 with a merger between the Lowell Machine Shop with the Saco-Pettee Machine Company. At its peak in the 1920s, the company had manufacturing facilities in Lowell
and Newton, Massachusetts
, and Biddeford, Maine
. The company maintained their executive office at 77 Franklin Street in Boston
, and also had a southern office in Charlotte, North Carolina
.
During the mid-20th century, Saco-Lowell was one of the "big three" cotton textile machinery builders in New England
, along with the Whitin Machine Works
and the Draper Corporation
. While cotton machinery was the company's mainstay, Saco-Lowell also made machinery for the woolen and silk industries.
when it was set up as part of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company
in 1824, the first cotton textile mill established in Lowell. Under the direction of Paul Moody, the shop also built machinery for the other mills in Lowell as they were set up. Including the Boott Mills
in 1835 and others. The company soon gained a reputation for producing high-quality cotton machinery. The Lowell Machine Shop was located at the junction of the Merrimack
and Pawtucket Canal
s, near the Swamp Locks, across from Dutton Street in Lowell.
In 1834, the Lowell Machine Shop also began producing steam locomotives for the newly-created Boston and Lowell Railroad
.
The Lowell Machine Shop was incorporated in 1845 in Lowell, Massachusetts
as a separate company. The company produced most of the machines for other cotton mills in Lowell
during this period.
in Biddeford, Maine
.
A new manufacturing plant was opened in Biddeford
in 1900.
. The company was reorganized in 1882 by Henry Billings as the Pettee Machine Works. During the 1890s, the company expanded its Newton facilities.
Saco and Pettee merged in 1897 and became known as the Saco & Pettee Machine Shops.
in 1849. It became well known for its cotton preparatory machines, especially its picker machine. Kitson was acquired by the Lowell Machine Shop in 1905. The Kitson plant in Lowell was closed in 1928, when all of the company's operations were consolidated in Biddeford.
In 1923, Saco-Lowell expanded in Lowell with the completion of Building #15 on Dutton Street. However, just five years later in 1928, this factory was closed, along with all other Lowell plants. Operations were consolidated in Biddeford.
The plant in Newton Upper Falls was closed in 1932. Much of the Lowell plant was demolished that same year.
Building #15 in Lowell, next door to the Kitson building served a variety of manufacturing and retail uses until 2003 when it was converted into apartments.
Saco-Lowell operated a manufacturing plant in Easley, South Carolina
. It closed in November, 2000.
The remnants of the company, known as Saco-Lowell Parts is now part of W.W. Williams of Akron, Ohio
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was formed in 1912 with a merger between the Lowell Machine Shop with the Saco-Pettee Machine Company. At its peak in the 1920s, the company had manufacturing facilities in Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
and Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, and Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
. The company maintained their executive office at 77 Franklin Street in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and also had a southern office in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
.
During the mid-20th century, Saco-Lowell was one of the "big three" cotton textile machinery builders in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, along with the Whitin Machine Works
Whitin Machine Works
The Whitin Machine Works was founded by Paul Whitin and his sons in 1831 on the banks of the Mumford River in South Northbridge, Massachusetts. The village of South Northbridge became known as Whitinsville in 1835, in honor of its founder....
and the Draper Corporation
Draper Corporation
The Draper Corporation was once the largest maker of power looms for the textile industry in the United States. It operated in Hopedale, Massachusetts for over 130 years.-Beginnings:...
. While cotton machinery was the company's mainstay, Saco-Lowell also made machinery for the woolen and silk industries.
Lowell Machine Shop
The Lowell Machine Shop had its origins in the early days of the textile industry in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when it was set up as part of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company
Merrimack Manufacturing Company
The Merrimack Manufacturing Company was the first of the major textile manufacturing concerns to open in Lowell, Massachusetts, beginning operations in 1823.- History :...
in 1824, the first cotton textile mill established in Lowell. Under the direction of Paul Moody, the shop also built machinery for the other mills in Lowell as they were set up. Including the Boott Mills
Boott Mills
The Boott Mills in Lowell, Massachusetts are an early American cotton mill, parts of which date to 1835. Their namesake is Kirk Boott, one of the early mill leaders in Lowell. Today, the Boott Mills complex is the most intact in Lowell....
in 1835 and others. The company soon gained a reputation for producing high-quality cotton machinery. The Lowell Machine Shop was located at the junction of the Merrimack
Merrimack Canal
The Merrimack Canal is a power canal in Lowell, Massachusetts. The canal, dug in the 1820s, begins at the Pawtucket Canal just above Swamp Locks, and empties into the Merrimack River near the Boott Cotton Mills...
and Pawtucket Canal
Pawtucket Canal
Completed in 1796, the Pawtucket Canal was originally built as a transportation canal to circumvent the Pawtucket Falls of the Merrimack River in East Chelmsford, Massachusetts. In the early 1820s it became a major component of the Lowell power canal system...
s, near the Swamp Locks, across from Dutton Street in Lowell.
In 1834, the Lowell Machine Shop also began producing steam locomotives for the newly-created Boston and Lowell Railroad
Boston and Lowell Railroad
The Boston and Lowell Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Massachusetts. It was one of the first railroads in North America and the first major one in the state...
.
The Lowell Machine Shop was incorporated in 1845 in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
as a separate company. The company produced most of the machines for other cotton mills in Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
during this period.
Saco Water Power Company
The Saco Water Power Company first established a machine shop in 1841 on the banks of the Saco RiverSaco River
The Saco River is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay, from its source. It supplies drinking water to roughly 250,000...
in Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
.
A new manufacturing plant was opened in Biddeford
Biddeford, Maine
Biddeford is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is the largest town in the county, and is the sixth-largest in the state. It is the most southerly incorporated town in the state and the principal commercial center of York County. The population was 21,277 at the 2010 census...
in 1900.
Pettee Machine Works
Otis Pettee established a textile manufacturing company in 1831 at Newton Upper Falls, MassachusettsNewton Upper Falls, Massachusetts
Newton Upper Falls is a village situated on the east bank of the Charles River in the city of Newton, Massachusetts, in the United States.The area borders Needham, Massachusetts to the south/southwest, Wellesley, Massachusetts to the west, the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston to the extreme...
. The company was reorganized in 1882 by Henry Billings as the Pettee Machine Works. During the 1890s, the company expanded its Newton facilities.
Saco and Pettee merged in 1897 and became known as the Saco & Pettee Machine Shops.
Kitson Machine Shop
The Kitson Machine Shop was founded by Richard Kitson in LowellLowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
in 1849. It became well known for its cotton preparatory machines, especially its picker machine. Kitson was acquired by the Lowell Machine Shop in 1905. The Kitson plant in Lowell was closed in 1928, when all of the company's operations were consolidated in Biddeford.
Merger and consolidation
The Saco & Pettee Machine Shops merged with the Lowell Machine Shops in 1912.In 1923, Saco-Lowell expanded in Lowell with the completion of Building #15 on Dutton Street. However, just five years later in 1928, this factory was closed, along with all other Lowell plants. Operations were consolidated in Biddeford.
The plant in Newton Upper Falls was closed in 1932. Much of the Lowell plant was demolished that same year.
Recent history
In 1992, the former Kitson factory on Dutton Street in Lowell was acquired by the American Textile History Museum, which moved to the site in 1994. The building was recently renovated and portions have been converted into residences and offices.Building #15 in Lowell, next door to the Kitson building served a variety of manufacturing and retail uses until 2003 when it was converted into apartments.
Saco-Lowell operated a manufacturing plant in Easley, South Carolina
Easley, South Carolina
Easley is a city in Pickens County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a principal city of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the city lies in Pickens County, with only a very small portion of the city in Anderson County...
. It closed in November, 2000.
The remnants of the company, known as Saco-Lowell Parts is now part of W.W. Williams of Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
.
See also
- Saco-Lowell Shops Housing Historic DistrictSaco-Lowell Shops Housing Historic DistrictThe Saco-Lowell Shops Housing Historic District is a historic district on Oak, William, Butts, and Saco Streets in Newton, Massachusetts.It was built in 1919 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990....
- Saco-Pettee Machine Shops - Historic factory site in Newton Upper Falls, MassachusettsNewton Upper Falls, MassachusettsNewton Upper Falls is a village situated on the east bank of the Charles River in the city of Newton, Massachusetts, in the United States.The area borders Needham, Massachusetts to the south/southwest, Wellesley, Massachusetts to the west, the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston to the extreme...
- Platt BrothersPlatt BrothersPlatt Brothers & Co Ltd, was a British company based at Oldham, in North West England. They were textile machinery manufacturers, iron founders and colliery proprietors, and by the end of the 19th century, had become the largest textile machinery company in the world, employing over 12,000 workers...