1930s

Henry Dexter suspends all fundraising efforts, referencing “the ominous cloud of business depression…if not without precedent in its severity, without precedent in its duration.”

OSMA borrows $700 to keep up with expenses and maintain the mill

The first caretaker is hired, a “practical machinist,” at a wage of $1 per week

The Community Chest Exhibition attracts several thousand people to mill

H. Nelson Slater, son of Mabel and the late H. Nelson Slater Jr., is named Honorary President of the Board of Trustees

The Board purchases a Fire Insurance Policy for the building

Due to threats of flood, OSMA seeks Works Progress Administration support to wall-off the Great Flume, the intake from the river that provided waterpower for mills along Wilkinson Way and Roosevelt Avenue. The project is completed several years later

Albert Noelte suggests a fundraising campaign to develop a “museum concept” for the site.  He is elected President of the Board at the end of the decade.

1940s

Albert Noelte leads the effort to develop a “museum of the textile industry” at Old Slater Mill.

An Acquisitions Committee is formed intending to “scour the country” for early cotton spinning machinery

As donations of objects and documents begins, OSMA seeks to purchase a vault to contain them

OSMA marks the 150th anniversary of cotton spinning in America with an Industrial & Historical Exhibition.

The building is plagued by freezing of the fire suppression system. OSMA borrows money to repair the damage

The IRS grants 501(c)(3) status to the OSMA

H. Nelson Slater launches a campaign to fund a Trust, contributing its first $5,000

A sign is purchased to mark the location of the site from the street

OSMA celebrates its 25th anniversary

Two booklets are published: one on the OSMA, the other entitled “The Slater Story”

The mill is painted schoolhouse red to help it stand out amid the many mill buildings

Development of a reference library, and the first museum layout, are discussed

1960s

The Board adopt “Cradle of American Industry” as an identity for the site

Donald Shepard resigns after five years, under criticism by H. Nelson Slater and discouraged by the fundraising demand. He is succeeded by Capt. Paul Heerbrandt (US Navy, Ret.)

The Slater Mill Field Trip is offered to public schools under city and state subsidies

Raymond Storin leads a beautification project, installing floodlights to illuminate the dam and mill, and removing a tall fence from the Broadway side to create a view

Director Heerbrandt is forced to step down due to lack of funding

Craft classes are offered to the public, the start of nearly seven decades of fiber arts programming at the mill

The Live Wire Club proposes the relocation of the Sylvanus Brown House to the site to prevent its demolition during the construction of the interstate highway

The Slater Urban Renewal Project avails the abutting properties, and property across the river, for acquisition by OSMA

A meddling H. Nelson Slater orchestrates a hostile takeover of the Board, leaving his sons and secretary in control.  The short-lived folly ends six months later, when Slater hands it all back to the beleaguered group

During the period of unrest, Samuel Slater’s first home on the corner of Roosevelt and Slater Avenues is demolished

Pawtucket-Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce recruits eight influential men as trustees. Each pledges $5000 to the OSMA. Stuart Woodruff is elected President

Rotary Club of Pawtucket pledges $50,000 to establish Hodgson-Rotary Park on the campus, in honor of Dr. Percy Hodgson

Paul Rivard is hired as executive director in 1969, the first since 1963

Old Slater Mill is designated a National Historic Site by the U.S. Dept. of the Interior

1970s

OSMA celebrates 50 years; identifies as Slater Mill Historic Site, a Museum of American Crafts and Industry

Their first attempt thwarted by lack of leadership, the Trustees launch a $1.1 M campaign to fund the acquisition of adjacent lands, the restoration of Wilkinson Mill, and the relocation of Sylvanus Brown House to the Slater lot

OSMA publishes “Samuel Slater: Father of American Manufactures,” by Paul Rivard (a publication it continues to reprint regularly through today)

Work begins on a new permanent exhibition in Old Slater Mill to feature operating machinery

The first School Services Guide is hired exclusively for the management of student tours and programs. The position quickly grows to full-time Curator of Education

“The Flyer” is launched as a quarterly publication for the organization

The museum receives its first accreditation from the American Association of Museums

Administrative offices are established on the second floor of Wilkinson Mill

Dr. Patrick Malone is named Executive Director in 1975

An archaeological dig reveals the early location and works of the Wilkinson Mill water wheel. An eight-year effort ensues to restore it to function

The Fibers Co-op is formed at Old Slater Mill, creating a formal structure for what had been ongoing since 1956, and expanding the scope and professionalism of the art

A permanent exhibition on pre-industrial handcrafts is established on the 2nd floor of Old Slater Mill

After 20+ years in schoolhouse red, the old mill is repainted a historically-accurate shade of yellow

1990s

An OSMA Board meeting is chaired by a female trustee for the first time Vice-President Peg Chatellier does the honors on July 9, 1991

OSMA hires its first female executive director, Holly Begley, who serves for three years. She is succeeded by Dr. Gail Fowler Mohanty, who serves for seven

National Park Rangers are stationed at the museum to assist with tours

The 200th birthday of the 1793 Old Slater Mill is celebrated with the public

US Postal Service unveils a first-class postage stamp depicting Old Slater Mill

OSMA celebrates 75 years

The Fiber Artists Co-op holds a public festival on the grounds

Champlin Foundations funds a complete exterior restoration of the Old Mill with a grant for $131,000

Pawtucket is officially “twinned” with Belper, England, the birthplace of Samuel Slater

The City purchases Peerless Department Store to include a Visitor Center and Exhibition Hall. OSMA partners in the effort

Bob Billington, president of the Tourism Council, joins the OSMA Board, leading its marketing efforts

The first Ghost Hunt is held inside the mill

OSMA purchases the domain slatermill.org and builds its first website

2000s

Old Slater Mill is hosting 100 school children each day

The Board approves the placement of a contemporary sculpture on the grounds of the Old Slater Mill, and later hosts a larger public art project on the site

OSMA continues to bear and unmanageable financial burden with debt and various means of fundraising

Jeanne Zevada serves four years as executive director, followed by Janice Kissinger for two years.

Board forms a Special Committee to investigate National Park status for Old Slater Mill, or to pursue a partnership or more with NPS to help sustain the museum

A rebuild of the water wheel, 20 years after its initial restoration, is completed

OSMA launches the Campaign for a New Era to raise sufficient funds to attract an appropriate CEO for the museum

The Board adopts a Living History Model, with tour guides in period costumes demonstrating pre-industrial craft as well as industrial machine operation

Old Slater Mill achieves National Heritage Landmark status, another step toward National Park status

OSMA hosts the first of a dozen annual Knitting Weekends

OSMA unveils the Jencks Education Center, an event space for the museum, and a meeting space for the Community Guilds

2020s

International Women’s Day on May 6, 2020 is the last event celebrated at Old Slater Mill before the Covid-19 pandemic forces the museum to close to the public.

OSMA breaks ground on. the Roosevelt Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project in partnership with the City of Pawtucket. It includes a re-design of the Old Slater Mill Parking Lot and campus entrance. Slater Avenue is abandoned as a roadway, converted to a pedestrian access.

Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park hires a new superintendent, and steps in to oversee the maintenance and grounds of the Old Slater Mill during the pandemic

On March 17, 2021, OSMA celebrates its 100th Anniversary.

On March 31, 2021, the U.S. Government officially accepts the buildings and lands on the west bank of the Blackstone River into the National Park Service, allowing the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park to publish its official boundary in the Federal Register.

To restore public and ADA accessible access to its special collections, OSMA establishes the Slater Industrial Archives in 2023, relocating its Historic Archival Repository to a new location at 175 Main Street in downtown Pawtucket, adjacent to the Old Slater Mill campus.

The next century

As a partnership between the Old Slater Mill Association and the National Park Service continues to evolve, we anticipate a lively and thriving campus, park rangers eager to share the history of the site with visitors of all ages, and a destination for cultural tourism and community, as it always has been, only better and stronger.

Photo at top of page:

OSMA President Stuart Woodruff breaks ground on the Wilkinson Mill restoration in 1969. With Robert Chase, Benjamin Chester, and Mayor Burns. (Image courtesy of Pawtucket History Research Center at Pawtucket Public Library)