Skinner Silk Mill

LINK to go to my Patreon pay per view video.

William Skinner started the Unquomonk Mill in Williamsburg. He came to Holyoke in 1874 after the Mill River flood of that year.

1884

1889

1895

1905

1956

1949

mill 3 – 1915

mill 3 – 1956
1908

How Silk is Made (external Youtube link – not my video)

Sanborn map analysis:

Sanborn 1884 map

Sanborn 1889 map

Sanborn 1895 map

Sanborn 1915 mapmap C

Sanborn 1949 mapmap Bmap C

Sanborn 1956 mapmap Bmap C

Seymour Cutlery (Warner File Company)

Henry Seymour (FINDAGRAVE) started Seymour Cutlery in 1878. Their main product was scissors. Notice that their salesroom is in New York City. The company had his brother Robert (FINDAGRAVE) as helper. (At that location in the early 1870s was Warner File.)

Catalogue

Japanned and japanning means that the handle is with black lacquer.

Sanborn map analysis:

Sanborn 1884 map

Sanborn 1889 map

Sanborn 1895 map

Sanborn 1915 map it is gone and Farr Alpaca is in the area

Merrick Lumber

see Link for the Sanborn maps and the story

The Merrick started the Merrick Lumber Mill near the first train station. It started in 1881 and grew rapidly. They owned their own forest in Maine. The family members that ran it were:

A Judson Merrick (home at 314 Maple) death 19 October 1923 in Holyoke

John Merrick (home at 148 South) death at 10 June 1920

Joseph S Merrick (home at 225 Walnut) death at 9 January 1908

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New York Woolen

PICTURE

The New York Woolen Mill was located at the junction of the second and third canals. Clearly, they made wool products. They were owned at first by A T Stewart. Read about the Connor Brothers HERE. One of the Connor Brothers was James and he went bankrupt in 1901.

Sanborn map analysis:

Sanborn 1884 map

Sanborn 1889 map listed as Connor Brothers’ New York Woolen Mill

Sanborn 1895 map – gone after 1901

They are here replaced by the Holyoke Plush Co. LINK

Prentiss Wire

149 Elm

George Prentiss built the first Prentiss Wire Mill in 1857 on the First Level Canal. Mill number 1 closed in 1961 (and was razed in 1963) but the second mill is still there. He lived at 196 Northampton Street and his son lived at 207 Elm Street.

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Its main product was steel and iron wire.

They would run the Holyoke Covered Wire Company out of their mill 2. This would be called also the Holyoke Company.

Sanborn map analysis:

Sanborn 1884 map

Sanborn 1889 map shows both mills

Sanborn 1895 map

Sanborn 1915 map

Sanborn 1949 map mill three

Sanborn 1956 map