Slatersville: America's First Mill Village

Our story begins in Belper, England, the birthplace of Samuel Slater, who is known as the "Father of the Industrial Revolution" in America but a traitor to his native land.

The Slaters found a new village by building a mill and housing, utilizing water power, and forcing farmers into a time-punching world of manufacturing. Houses of worship enforce temperance and child labor as they struggle to control their workforce.

Slatersville native Dr. Elisha Bartlett becomes the first Mayor of Lowell, MA and one of the world's most respected doctors of the era. As the Slaters face excruciating losses of life, French-Canadians arrive for work, bringing a new language and culture.

After William Smith Slater and John Fox Slater spent decades building their family fortunes in the second generation, the brothers distribute their wealth for both family and country, most notably for the education of African Americans.

Upon inheriting his father's fortune, John Whipple Slater, owner of Slatersville, becomes an absentee landlord. As he lives a life of extravagance and scandalous behavior, the village descends into chaos, leaving its future in peril.

Near the turn of the 20th Century, Henry Kendall, a young mill owner from Walpole, MA, purchases Slatersville to expand his operations, but must raise its morale.