Then & Now Mill Views

Regular readers and visitors to this blog may already know that we live in a building that was formerly part of the Nashua Manufacturing Company, a cotton textile manufacturer in Nashua, NH from 1823 to 1945. 

This vintage postcard shows the mill during its heyday with its large prominent company sign. The bell that summoned mill workers was housed in the center white tower.

The company operated as the largest mills along the Nashua River during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Like many New England textile mills, it struggled during the Depression and shut down in 1948, after much of the textile industry moved South. In the mid to late 1960s after various enterprises used, then vacated the premises, six mill buildings were converted into apartment living. 

This photo was taken one evening last week from the Main Street Bridge in downtown Nashua. While the building exteriors remain largely unchanged, the large company sign is long gone. These properties are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as a historic district.

The view below doesn't capture the total size of the mill building complex. The white bell tower also can be seen here. The partially visible tower clock is one of two that are maintained and operational today. (A future post will show the inside of one tower.)

Here's another partial view that shows the front of the buildings. The green canopy is over stairs leading to an interior two-level parking garage. There's also an above ground parking area for apartment residents.

Both the exterior and interior parking areas formerly were the site of the water canal that provided power to mill buildings. This vintage postcard shows that original water canal.

However, my favorite views are those captured from our 5th floor apartment window which show the Nashua River and part of downtown Nashua. This was a recent early morning view.

Here's the same view taken as skies cleared after a recent rain storm. 

Friends have commented on how hard it must be for us to force ourselves to look at these views on a daily basis. We respond that we're managing and enjoy sharing them, like now.