Pascoag in Burrillville in Providence County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
The Granite Mill
In 1746 Josiah Arnold operated a saw and gristmill on this site utilizing waterpower from the Pascoag River. In 1814 Daniel Sayles erected a building for fulling and dressing woolen cloth. Farmers in the area brought their homespun cloth, woven on handlooms to the mill to be dyed, fulled and finished. Later, the mill became a woolen factory owned by his sons Hardin Sayles and Pitt Sayles. In 1861 Hardin's son, Albert L. Sayles became the owner. In 1865 he tore down the old woolen mill and erected the Granite Mill, a massive 3 and 4-story woolen mill, 350 feet in length. In 1889 the mill employed 350 people and was one of the great textile centers in the state.
In 1928 it was sold to the Bachman Uxbridge Worsted Corporation employing 600 people at the height of its operation. The last owner to manufacture textiles here was the Andrew Worsted Mills, closing in 1978. It was destroyed by fire in May 1981. Members of the Sayles family are at rest in a cemetery a short distance from the mill site overlooking Union Pond.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1981.
Location. 41° 57.313′ N,
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Regionally, this marker is in Greater Providence. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Burrillville Veterans Plaque (approx. 0.2 miles away); Burrillville Veterans Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); The White Mill (approx. 0.9 miles away); Austin T. Levy, Mill Owner, Philanthropist, and Friend (approx. 1˝ miles away); Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library (approx. 1˝ miles away); Welcome to the Job Armstrong Shopkeeper's Garden
Credits. This page was last revised on September 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 29, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 29, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
