The Abandoned Moffett Mill
Lincoln, RI
January 30, 2021
"Constructed in 1812 by local mechanic George Olney, the Moffett Mill offers a rare glimpse of the early American machine shop. The Moffett Mill was among the first mills in the area to have new metal-working technology including a metal lathe and drill press. In the early 1800s, Olney made tools and repaired vital machine parts for the other mills along Great Road, including his own thread mill at the pond in Lincoln Woods, Stephen Smith’s Butterfly Mill, and Captain Wilbur Kelly’s mill at Old Ashton. Arnold Moffett purchased the mill in 1850, replacing the breast-style waterwheel with a more modern, water-driven iron turbine. He expanded into furniture making and wagon building. At the time of the Civil War, the mill’s second floor housed braiding machines used to produce laces for shoes and corsets. By 1880, gristmill orders accounted for a large share of the Moffetts’ business, and a sawmill produced boards and wooden boxes for customers in the area. By the turn of the century, the mill closed and the building abandoned. In 2000, the Moffett Mill was stabilized and restored, with the original equipment still intact. Today, the mill is open for occasional public viewing under the stewardship of the Friends of Hearthside."
