Samuel Slater was known as "Founder of the American Industrial Revolution". He secretly in came to America in 1789 . In 1793, with the help of Moses Brown, Providence investors, and skilled artisans, he built the first successful water-powered textile mill in America. It was used to convert raw cotton into cloth. The mill started as a small by mill. The first employees of the mill were children ages 6 to 12. Parents had no problem sending their children to work in the mill because they would recieve income for their work, which was hard to come by at that time.

The pay was only about a dollar a week and that eventually came to an end, instead of paying them, Slater would give them store credits. Every aspect of the mill families' lives were run by the mill even down to the stores, churches, and schools attended. The child workers would work 6 days a week sun up to sun down and go to the mill run Sunday school on their only day off for a very basic education.

Overseers of the child workers would dole out corporal punishments often. The working conditions were poor. There was a lot of respiratory illiness and it was not unusual for injury to occur. A tired worker could sustain a lost finger, arm, scalp, or even death. Even though there are no records of suicides or murders on file, there have been many reports of paranormal activity within the walls of Slater mill over the many years of it's existance.

Photos of Slater Mill / Wilkinson Mill

Slater Mill

Slater Mill

Wilkinson Mill

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