This mill in the village first named Greeneville, then Taftville, and finally Quidnick after one of its reservoirs upstream, became the jewel of the Sprague textile empire, one of the most important firms in Rhode Island economic and industrial history. But the Spragues lost it all in the financial panic of 1873.
\nReplacing a cotton mill built in 1811, in 1847 the A. & W. Sprague Manufacturing Company built this 450’ X 50’, four-story, granite mill designed by William Sprague, a sixth generation Sprague. He became superintendent of the mills, built a beautiful home in Natick and started a large farm where the Rhode Island Mall now stands. Needing even more water power the company took over 260 acres to create the Tiogue Reservoir (Tiogue Lake). The Sprague empire acquired more mills naming them to rhyme: Natick, Arctic, Baltic (in Connecticut) and Quidnick. Four generations of Spragues lived in the Sprague Mansion next to the Cranston Print Works Mill and the family produced two governors who went on to become senators.
\nDisaster struck when Amasa Sprague, who supervised the Print Works was brutally murdered in 1843, but the family carried on although with less interest in the mills. The family helped create banks in the area, start the parent paper of the Providence Journal, develop the Providence, Hartford, and Fishkill Railroad (now the Washington Secondary Bike Path), and by 1873 became the wealthiest family in Rhode Island only to lose it all in the financial panic of that year.
\nThe mill became part of the Union Company. In 1884 the Quidnick Manufacturing Company bought the site. They operated 31,460 spindles, 877 looms, and employed 500 in the manufacture of print cloths, sheetings, and twills.
\nThe main mill is now occupied by Clariant International a Swiss multinational specialty chemicals company. Other portions of the site are used by Rhodes Technologies currently in bankruptcy due to the opioid class-action suit.
","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"","lede":"","website":"","related_resources":["Gary Kulik and Julia C. Bonham, Rhode Island: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites, (U. S. Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation Historic American Engineering Record, 1978).
","Coventry, Rhode Island Statewide Historical Preservation Report, (Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, 1987).
","Cole, J.R., History of Washington and Kent Counties, Rhode Island (W.W. Preston & Co., New York, 1889).
","Coleman, J. Peter, The Transformation of Rhode Island 1790-1860 (Providence, RI: Brown University Press, 1969).
"],"factoids":["Coventry leaves Warwick—You are now in Coventry which was part of Warwick until 1741. Several of the inhabitants of the town of Warwick deeming the town too large, petitioned the general assembly to have the western part set off and a new township established. The general assembly, on the third Tuesday in August, 1741, passed the following act: “An act for incorporating the west end of the town of Warwick into a township, and the same to be distinguished and known by the name of Coventry.”
\n\"Whereas, Several of the inhabitants of the town of Warwick by petition to this Assembly did set forth the great disadvantages they labor under on account of the great extent of said town, and it is conceived it will be more for the ease and benefit of its inhabitants in transacting and negotiating the prudential affairs thereof to have a division made. “
\n\"Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, and by the authority thereof it is enacted that the western part of the town of Warwick be divided and set off from the eastern part thereof.”
","The spectacular failure of the Sprague empire—Some industrial empires were either so tightly integrated or so sprawling that losses could set off a chain reaction of failures throughout the economy. The latter was the case with the Spragues in the panic of 1873. The family owned or controlled some ten cotton mills (including Quidnick Mill), a streetcar company, a steam boat line, seven metal working enterprises, and five banks. In addition, the family had invested heavily in southern water privileges, timber properties, and railroads. Many of these enterprises were totally unrelated to the main Sprague business of textiles, but they all depended upon the family for their working capital and credit. Though their assets totaled $19,000,000 and their liabilities only $11,000,000, the Spragues could not meet their obligations.
\nThe collapse of the multi-million dollar Sprague empire resounded throughout the country. Industrial failures were not new in American business history, but there had never been a disaster of such magnitude. Many Sprague properties had to be disposed of at a fraction of their value as going concerns, thereby entailing enormous losses for the family as well as for their creditors. Two savings banks went down in total ruin; and three commercial banks had to reduce their capital by a total of $600,0000 and to assess their stockholders to make good some of the losses.
\nVisit the Sprague Mansion in Cranston for more information on the Sprague family.
\nAlso, get a great view of the mill pond and headrace at Trestle Park (see the second picture) . There are also picnic tables.
"],"files":{"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/1c80126fddc7047435dfaef618e570b0.jpg":{"id":1687,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Current view of Quidnick Mill from Washington Secondary Trail","description":"View of the 450’ X 50’ mill built by the Spragues in 1848 from old railroad bridge over the millpond. | Larry Manire | 2021","thumbnail":"https://rhodetour.org/files/square_thumbnails/1c80126fddc7047435dfaef618e570b0.jpg"},"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/02a27756c0aaf48c7436de47a945290c.jpg":{"id":1688,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Current aerial view of Quidnick Mill site","description":"Aerial view of the 450’ X 50’ Quidnick Mill built by the Spragues in 1848. Get a great view of the mill pond and headrace at Trestle Park. There are also picnic tables.
| Google Maps (annotated) | 2021","thumbnail":"https://rhodetour.org/files/square_thumbnails/02a27756c0aaf48c7436de47a945290c.jpg"},"https://rhodetour.org/files/fullsize/da7fd5245cdc6bcb1b32a724adaefbed.jpg":{"id":1689,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Quidnick Mill","description":"The 450’ X 50’ mill built by the Spragues in 1848 now used by Rhodes Technologies.
| Coduri, Joseph E., Rhode Island Towns & Villages Post Card Views at the Turn of the 20th Century (Joseph Coduri, 2017). | Ca. 1900","thumbnail":"https://rhodetour.org/files/square_thumbnails/da7fd5245cdc6bcb1b32a724adaefbed.jpg"}}}