A City of Weavers and Wool
With the construction of the Everett Mills, the Pacific Mills, the Washington Mills, and numerous other factories, the city’s growth was truly exponential. According to Orra Stone, the Pacific Mills had the mechanical equipment capable of producing 800 miles of finished textile fabrics, every working day of the year. After only 75 years of existence the city led the world in the production of worsted wool cloth.
In 1900:
- Lawrence produced nearly 25% of all the woolen cloth in the U.S.
- 65% of manufacturing output, 67% of all the capital invested, and 66% of expenditures for material were from woolen mills.
- 52% of the city’s wages came from the woolen mills.
The phrase “We Weave the World’s Worsteds” was a source of pride for the residents of the city.
