#lymanmill

Won't you cleanse my soul Put my feet on the ground - Al Green/Mabon Hodges

8/30/2014 – Hard to imagine I’ve been back in Rhode Island for nearly two months; a month since I last wrote anything or took a picture. We did a lot of visiting after my Mom’s birthday and started working on some projects for her-mostly cleaning and organizing. We lost several days when she had a major physical (most are brain incidents) seizure, which take a lot of physical and mental recovery. I was with her-difficult when all you can do is try to give her medication, wait to see if it works, then call for an ambulance when it doesn’t. Two days later she was getting her heir done and we were eating giant sandwiches at the Cherry Hill Grille.

So by Labor Day Weekend, a little stress relief was in order. Driving and walking between my Mom’s and niece’s-where I inhabit the basement for the summer-I sometimes follow what was once called the river road, following a segment of the  Woonasquatucket River. This was the second great industrial power plant after the Blackstone and is filled with ghosts, remains, and repurposed mills from Georgiaville to Olneyville and into the heart of the city of Providence. I explored two old mills along the river on foot, took in the sights along the river where I could, and on Monday took a drive to a third and explored a little personal history.

First I walked to Allendale. The mills there were started in 1822. I discovered the old spill dam and the still formidable looking building that once housed the company store. Beautifully repurposed, the mill is now the home of many, having been reborn as “The Mill at Allendale” condos. I didn’t want to take too many pics for fear of invading someone’s privacy. Staying true to the “Rhode Island System”, the building next door was built at the same time and housed the company store. It is as big as any old market or department store I’ve seen. Following Slater’s system of a mill village made sure company pay came back to the company.

As I looked for another river access point, I turned down the short Warren Avenue. It dead ends at a point where you catch a beautiful view upriver and also a sign reminding you of the river’s industrial past. Part of an EPA Superfund site, signs all along the river warn passersby not to wade, swim, bathe, or eat the fish. Still, the sights along the river were relaxing-vegetation, a small frog, ducks, and dam.

A mile downriver there is a historic marker. The Lyman Mill was established here in 1811; the first in what is now North Providence and water power innovator. Daniel Lyman built a small spill dam to create Lymansville Mill Pond, a move to ensure available water power during drought. The current structure is from the 1880’s and is nearly or completely empty-there are many companies’ signs around the buildings, but the whole complex is in rough shape. Graffiti ranging from rude to artistic “adorns” the building in and out. I had to laugh-and take a pic-of one display where someone couldn’t figure out how to draw a “Y” on the inside of a second story window that would look right from the outside.

I walked back to my niece’s house, passing a few company built houses and wishing I had brought some water for my nearly three mile mill village hike.