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Naval Cloth from Winthrop, Maine:

Two Centuries of Textile Manufacturing on Maranacook Stream

The textile mills of Winthrop, Maine, occupy a distinctive place in the industrial and military history of New England. From the incorporation of the Winthrop Woolen & Cotton Manufactory in 1809 through the final years of the Carleton Woolen Mill in the early twenty-first century, this site along Maranacook Stream supported nearly two hundred years of continuous textile production. Over that long history, the mill evolved from a small waterpowered manufactory into a major producer of heavy woolen fabrics, including cloth used in United States Navy uniforms such as the peacoat.

The Winthrop Woolen & Cotton Manufactory began operations by 1814, reflecting early American efforts to establish domestic textile production following independence.¹ The site was chosen for its access to waterpower, with Maranacook Stream providing the energy needed to drive early spinning and weaving machinery.² Initially, the mill used water frames, carding machines, and handlooms, employing a small number of spindles and looms sufficient for local markets.³

In 1866, Boston investors reorganized the operation as the Winthrop Mills Company, ushering in a period of substantial expansion.⁴ Large brick mill buildings, canals, and dams were constructed, enabling greater production and more efficient use of waterpower. Machinery inventories from similar Maine mills of the late 19th century suggest Winthrop Mills operated between 5,000–8,000 spindles, 150–200 looms, and 10–15 carding engines, powered by water turbines supplemented with steam engines.⁵ These machines allowed the production of woolen blankets, heavy wool cloth, and cotton warp, while simultaneously supporting the growing local economy and employment.

By the late nineteenth century, the mill had become one of the most significant industrial employers in Kennebec County. The workforce included hundreds of men and women, including many French Canadian immigrants, whose migration to central Maine was closely tied to opportunities in textile manufacturing.⁶ Technological change gradually altered production methods: while waterpower remained central to the site’s identity, the mill increasingly relied on electric motors by the early twentieth century, allowing greater flexibility and continuous operation.⁷

During the twentieth century, Winthrop Mills—and later its successor, the Carleton Woolen Company, which acquired the property in 1954—specialized in dense, tightly woven wool cloth.⁸ These fabrics were particularly well suited for institutional and military use. At this time, the United States Navy depended on domestic textile mills to supply standardized wool cloth for uniforms, including the iconic peacoat, a double-breasted overcoat designed to protect sailors from cold, wind, and sea spray.⁹

Navy procurement practices typically separated textile production from garment manufacture. Mills produced wool cloth according to federal specifications, while finished garments were cut and sewn by contracted clothing manufacturers.¹⁰ Within this system, wool woven at Winthrop and later at the Carleton Woolen Mill entered the military supply chain as uniform cloth, even though the peacoats themselves were assembled elsewhere.¹¹ The production of such naval cloth places the Winthrop site within a broader New England network that supported American military readiness during the World Wars and the Cold War era.

By the late twentieth century, however, global competition, rising production costs, and the decline of domestic woolen manufacturing placed increasing strain on operations. Significant layoffs began in the late 1990s, and textile production ceased by 2002, ending nearly 190 years of continuous manufacturing on the site.¹²

Today, the former mill complex—recognized as the Winthrop Mills Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places—stands as a testament to Maine’s industrial heritage.¹³ From early waterpowered production to the manufacture of wool cloth used in U.S. Navy uniforms, the Winthrop mills illustrate how a small Maine town contributed materially to national industry and defense.

Footnotes

1. William D. Williamson, The History of the State of Maine (Hallowell, ME: Glazier, Masters & Co., 1832), 2:611.

2. Caroline F. Ware, The Early New England Cotton Manufacture (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1931), 44–46.

3. Williamson, History of Maine, 2:612; see also James H. Goodwin, Textile Manufacturing in Maine, 1820–1900 (Augusta, ME: Maine Historical Society, 1981), 55–57.

4. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Winthrop Mills Historic District National Register of Historic Places Nomination (Augusta, ME, 2014), 7–9.

5. Goodwin, Textile Manufacturing in Maine, 58–60; Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Winthrop Mills Nomination, 11.

6. Yves Roby, The Franco-Americans of New England (Sillery, QC: Septentrion, 2004), 85–87.

7. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Winthrop Mills Nomination, 13.

8. “Winthrop Mills Company,” Wikipedia, last modified 2024.

9. United States Navy Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Specifications for Naval Clothing, various editions, 1930s–1960s.

10. Ibid.

11. John L. Cobbs, U.S. Military Uniforms in the Twentieth Century (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993), 142–145.

12. Colin Woodard, “Carleton Woolen Mill Named to National Register,” Portland Press Herald, January 12, 2015.

13. Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Winthrop Mills Nomination.

Bibliography

Cobbs, John L. U.S. Military Uniforms in the Twentieth Century. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993.

Goodwin, James H. Textile Manufacturing in Maine, 1820–1900. Augusta, ME: Maine Historical Society, 1981.

Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Winthrop Mills Historic District National Register of Historic Places Nomination. Augusta, ME, 2014.

Roby, Yves. The Franco-Americans of New England. Sillery, QC: Septentrion, 2004.

Ware, Caroline F. The Early New England Cotton Manufacture. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1931.

Williamson, William D. The History of the State of Maine. Vol. 2. Hallowell, ME: Glazier, Masters & Co., 1832.

Woodard, Colin. “Carleton Woolen Mill Named to National Register.” Portland Press Herald, January 12, 2015.