Did You Know?

By 1833, the industrial landscape of Eastford — then still part of Ashford — was being reshaped by the steady hum of the Phoenix Manufacturing Company. Operating at the heart of what would become Phoenixville, the company managed two primary facilities — the Red Mill, established in 1813, and the Stone Mill, added a decade later in 1823.

The scale of production for the era was formidable, fueled by the labor of a small but dedicated mill village.

Production and Infrastructure — The two mills functioned as a cohesive unit of early American textile manufacturing, churning out a massive volume of goods — 1,700 spindles; 36 looms; producing 275,000 yards of cotton cloth annually, from 66,000 pounds of raw cotton.

The Workforce: A Hard-Earned Living — Life in the mills was a family affair, though the payroll reflected the stark social hierarchies of the 19th century. The company supported a total of 200 people, with the daily operations handled by 85 workers.

• 25 men: Earned $1 per day (roughly equivalent to $40 in modern purchasing power).
• 50 women: Earned 50 cents per day, providing the bulk of the manual dexterity required for the looms.
• 10 children (under 12): Earned just 21 cents per day, often performing the grueling task of cleaning machinery or piecing together broken threads.

The Phoenix Manufacturing Company wasn’t just a business — it was the lifeblood of the community, turning raw southern cotton into the fabric of New England life.