Belknap Mill Matters - Productivity and ingenuity

Women sit at sewing machines being powered by the river circa 1910.  Hydropower was considered innovative technology in the operation of the knitting machines at the Belknap Mill. (Courtesy photo)

The Belknap Mill has a long tradition as a center for industry and progress. In 1823, it was built as one of the first vertically integrated centers of textile manufacturing in the U.S. In 1861, it led the national conversion from weaving to knitting. In 1918, it established one of the first hydroelectric plants in the region (at the then astounding cost of $100,000). This plant not only powered the Mill’s equipment, it also supplied electricity to households and businesses in Laconia.

The success of the hosiery industry in Laconia and surrounding towns drew inventors and machine manufacturers to the region. By World War I, Scott & Williams, manufacturers of industrial knitting machinery, relocated from Philadelphia to join several other local machine companies supplying the local and regional market with the newest technologies. With the growth of the mills came jobs, drawing immigrants from all over the world.

After World War II, the emerging international market presented a fierce competitor to the American market. Unable to compete with their low labor wages, the American mills began to falter and fail. The Belknap Mill closed its doors in 1969.

The Belknap Mill’s story is one of American productivity and ingenuity, the birth of the nation as a multinational “melting pot,” and the underpinning of community. For nearly 150 years, the Mill acted as an innovative community leader, leading the evolution of industry in the U.S. and paving the way for today’s advanced manufacturing sector. Now, as the region’s center for culture, industrial history and community, the Belknap Mill continues to play a vital role in furthering the development of the Lakes Region. #belknapmill #wherecommunityhappens

– Lisa Burk-McCoy, nonprofit consultant and co-founder of Starfish Collaborative. Her work supports the Belknap Mill Society and nonprofits across New Hampshire.