Developing an Industrial Empire

Developing an Industrial Empire. . , Peter Harmony and other wealthy venture capitalists incorporated the Harmony Manufacturing Company in 1836. This new mill was strategically placed next to the Erie Canal, and harnessed the abundant flow over the falls of the Mohawk River for industrial use. The business was sold in 1850 to Thomas Garner, a New York City textile merchant, and Alfred Wild of Kinderhook, New York. They appointed Robert Johnston to manage mill operations., The Johnston Management's Success , Robert Johnston, expert mulespinner and student of Samuel Slater, arrived in Cohoes in 1850 to manage the mill. Over several decades, Robert and his son David John Johnston expanded the Harmony Manufacturing Company into one of the most complete cotton manufactories in the United States, This series of mills became known as the Harmony Mills. The Johnstons constantly improved the technology and speed of the manufacturing process, importing and developing new machinery and recruiting skilled textile operatives as well as large numbers of less-skilled workers to increase production., The Johnston Mansion 1866 , Known as "Longview," this building was built for David John Johnston by the Harmony Company when he became Superintendent of the mills. It is a three story Italianate mansion with a mansard roof and hooded dormers. Perched high atop Harmony Hill overlooking mill worker housing and the factories, it symbolically oversees the mill complex and the entire City of Cohoes, which was in that time a "company town."