Durfee Mills receipts

Collection

Identifier: MC-061

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of thirty receipts from eleven different suppliers to the mills, from the years 1892, 1894, and 1895. The receipts document purchases of various hardware and mill supplies, drums, spindles, and reeds from suppliers such as Covel & Osborn, Lowell Machine Shop, and McGregor & Sons.

Dates

1892-1895

Creator

Durfee Mills (Organization)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted

Biographical / Historical

The Durfee Mills were founded in 1866 in Fall River, Massachusetts, for the production of print cloth. The business was named after Major Bradford Durfee, whose son was the principal stockholder and original president. In 1871, a second mill was built, and the buildings became known as Mill No. 1 and Mill No. 2. They were five-story granite buildings, with an office between. Contemporary sources indicate that the grounds were well-landscaped and that the distinctive buildings towered over the city. A third mill was constructed by 1890. In 1876 Durfee Mills ran 2,064 looms, more than any other mill in Fall River. In annual reports of both 1876 and 1890, Durfee Mills reported the largest weekly production output of any mill in the city. Statistics from 1890 show that Durfee Mills annually produced 35,500,000 yards of print cloth, consumed 9,500 bales of cotton, and employed 1,050 workers.