Beginning in 1807, a series of embargoes were placed on trade by the U.S. government. For much of the country, this resulted in economic hardship as the foreign market for goods dried up. However, in the Blackstone Valley and much of the rest of New England, this resulted in an economic boom. Prior to the embargoes, local mills spun thread which was then sent to England to be made into cloth. This cloth was then shipped back to the US to be sold as yard goods. When the embargo prevented this trade, small cotton finishing mills began cropping up all along the Blackstone River. Moses Brown, the financial backer behind Samuel Slater's first endeavors in Pawtucket, wrote in an 1810 letter that ""our people have 'cotton mill fever' as it is called.... Every place is almost occupied with cotton mills...” Some historians have compared this era to the high-tech boom of the 1980's. Just as anyone with a computer could start a "dot com" company in the 80's, anyone with a little capital and some land on the river could open a cotton factory in the early 19th century in the Blackstone Valley.
The boom went bust when the embargoes were lifted after the War of 1812 was over. Nonetheless, the build up of the textile industry in the US, and most especially in the Blackstone Valley, left a permanent impact on the industrial history of the nation.
A new exhibit and public programs are planned for this year as we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. Watch for details.
