Buildings in Ashton Mill Village

Cumberland, RI

This is a map of Ashton Mill Village and the buildings around it. Look at the buildings that are labeled and when they were created. What buildings do you notice?

The Superintendent’s House

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This is where the person in charge of the mill would live. Today, it is the Kelly House Museum.

A Mill

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The Ashton Mill was created in 1867 as part of the Lonsdale Mill Company’s expansion. This created jobs and brought new people into the area. Today, the mill is now apartments.

Train tracks

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Before cars and trucks, trains were a great way to get people and goods into an area.

The River

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The Blackstone River (which runs from Worcester, MA to Providence, RI) provided water power for the mill.

Boarding Houses

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Families lived together right near the mill so it was easy to get to work and the family could still be together. These boarding houses today are now apartments.

Churches

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St. John’s Episcopal Church was built in 1868 by the Lonsdale Company to serve the families at Ashton Mill

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Churches

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St. Joseph's Church was built in 1872 to accommodate the growing Catholic population who was working in the Ashton Mill Village.

A Store

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There was also a store that would sell food, dry goods, medicine, and other items a family might need. This is a picture of the John M. Ryan Store (or J. M. Ryan on the map). It was built in 1875 and likely served the families at Ashton! The other store building on the map (A. J. Ballou) is no longer there

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A School

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School House Number 14 was built in 1868 by the Lonsdale Company to replace a smaller schoolhouse on the site from the 1830s. This larger school house was built to accommodate the increase in population after Ashton Mill was built

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