Powering Nashua Textile Mills: Exploring Mine Falls Park, NH
- Steve
- May 12
- 9 min read
Hike Distance: 5.2 miles
Elevation Gain:Â 339 feet
TrailsNH Hiking Difficulty Calculator: 59 – Moderate
Click here to navigate to the TrailsNH website for a description of the hiking difficulty calculator
Special Note: At the conclusion of this blog, I've included details about the Nashua Manufacturing Company and photos of the existing mill complex.
Mine Falls is a 325-acre island featuring forest, river, and wetlands, encircled by the city of Nashua. The City acquired it in 1969 to serve as a recreational haven. Prior to relocating to Nashua in the spring of 2021, we had heard about the park but hadn't visited it. It has since become my preferred spot for running. This map is provided by the City of Nashua.
The name "Mine Falls" originates from the 1700s when low-quality lead was extracted from an island situated below the falls. While the falls themselves have remained largely unchanged over the past 150 years, the surrounding area has seen significant transformations, including concrete enhancements to the dam and the installation of a hydroelectric facility. In the picture below, the low water levels reveal most of the dam, which stands 24 feet high and stretches 145 feet long. Additionally, the penstock (bottom left) channels water to the hydroelectric plant is visible.
However after heavy rains the Nashua River flow increases dramatically.
Standing by the dam and looking down the length of the penstock toward the hydroelectric plant.
Because of security around the hydroelectric building, it's difficult to get close to the dam and falls.
The Nashua River watershed has a total drainage area of approximately 538 square miles. This can lead to a significant volume of water flowing through the dam and the narrow section in the Mine Falls area after spring rains.
The first person to take advantage of Nashua's location on the Nashua River was Daniel Abbot. Known as the 'Father of Nashua', he was a lawyer, advocate, and orator. In 1823 Abbot and his partners chartered the Nashua Manufacturing Company to make cloth and to trade near the river. He later went on to become the first president of the Nashua Manufacturing Company.
Abbott and the partner’s plan was to harness and control water diverted from the Nashua River to support textile mills operations. They spent 3 years (1822-1825), quietly acquiring land, building the dam and gate system to control the water power at the naturally occurring drop at Mine Falls. From there they dug by hand a 3-mile long canal system to channel water to their mill site. A planned 36-foot drop in water levels from the dam to the waterwheels at the mill would power their textile spinning machines and looms.
In 1826, the initial gate was installed to redirect part of the Nashua River's flow to Mill Pond and the associated canal system. Despite the project's success, the mills needed more reliable power. Consequently, in 1886, an advanced complex was constructed to channel water to the canal, featuring five new lift gates safeguarded by a brick gatehouse.
An engineering document titled "Jackson Mills and Mine Falls Dam Nashua, New Hampshire. Reconnaissance Report, Hydroelectric Feasibility. Volume 2. Mine Falls Dam" provides a diagram of how the gatehouse controls flow from the river into Mill Pond. According to this 1980 report, less than 4% of Nashua River flow is diverted into the canal system.
Even today, the gates continue to channel water to Mill Pond. Within this structure are five wooden gates measuring 6 feet by 9 feet, which enabled water to drop 7 feet from the dam to the canal's water level. Due to recent worries about potential flooding if these gates were to fail, three out of the five gates have been entirely sealed, and the remaining two gates have been reduced to one-third of their original size.
A photo from the Nashua Historical Society shows the original appearance of the gatehouse and land surrounding the building.
Water flows from the gatehouse into the 25-acre Mill Pond, which was formed by flooding when the gates were initially opened.
Beyond the gatehouse, several trail options are available. Some trails run alongside the river, others parallel the canal, and some wind through the space between the two waterways.
At Mine Falls, water is always nearby. Two overflow spillways release water from Mill Pond back into the Nashua River.
The spillways create several streams that weave through the park between the Mill Pond and Nashua River.
A bridge has been built to ease crossing the ‘spillway’ stream.
Water from Mill Pond enters directly into the 3-mile-long canal. The canal features a basic ditch design with minimal stone lining.
The canal is on average 35-60 feet wide and 6-10 feet deep.
The basic ditch design is prone to collapses and erosion. This undated photo, provided by the Nashua Historical Society, depicts the canal when it was drained for maintenance.
Presently, current in the canal is negligible in order to encourage recreational use. There are several spots along the trail where bridges provide access to both sides of the canal.
We reached the overlook for Oxbow Lake less than half a mile before the canal ends. This lake is nestled between the canal and the Nashua River. Oxbow Lake was created due to the river's periodic flooding over long durations. When the waters retreated from these floodplains, new channels and permanent water-filled depressions emerged.
We reached the end of the canal as it wound through the beginning of the industrial area.
Surprisingly, the canal came to an abrupt stop at Pine Street in downtown Nashua. Water from the canal flows through a concrete box structure and discharges to the Nashua River through an underground pipe beneath the Picker Building in the mill complex. What an unassuming end for this engineering feat that contributed so heavily to the City of Nashua success during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
At this point, we walked around some of the wooden mill buildings and rejoined the path as it wound its way along the opposite end of Oxbow Lake and the banks of the Nashua River. The wetlands around Oxbow provide important habitat sanctuaries for local birds and wildlife.
Looking back at the Nashua River and the Nashua Manufacturing Company's smokestack that symbolizes the critical role of textile mills in Nashua's history.
We followed the river for a short distance before the path took a more inland route
The forest floor is covered with ferns.
In no time, we were back to walking along the canal and wrapping up our walk of Mine Falls Park.
Hike distance 5.8 miles
I couldn't resist including these two pictures that were taken at Mine Falls during the fall. It's a beautiful location during every season.
Side Trip Wandering Around the Old Nashua Manufacturing Co. Mill Complex
The Nashua Manufacturing Company's smokestack was built in 1881-82 and is unique among the great textile manufacturing sites because it’s structural shape is not round but instead a tapered square. The 215-foot smokestack is located several hundred yards from most of the existing mill buildings.
The Nashua Manufacturing Company site operated from 1823 until 1945 when it was sold to Textron Corporation. The company's first three years of business were focused on acquiring land, constructing the dam, and digging the canal. Once those tasks were completed, they focused their attention on building the mill complex.
Mill Number 1 was completed in 1825 and during the spring of 1826 the waters of the Nashua River were set loose into the newly dug canal, providing the first power to its waterwheels.
In 1827, Mill Number 2 was built and in full operation by 1828. This six story high building features the elaborate clocktower which even today is impressive and dominates the skyline. By 1835 the two mills employed 417 females and 87 males who operated the 11,000 spindles and 388 looms.
Both Mills were run by breastshot waterwheels. In this type of wheel, water flows onto the wheel about half way up and pushes the blades of the wheel downwards as it falls. The water then continues to flow underneath the wheel, pushing it more as it flows forward. By carefully guiding the entrance and exit of water from the wheel structure, the loss of kinetic energy was greatly minimized which led to greater output power.
Mill building Number 3 and 4 pictured below were slower coming on-line. In 1836 Mill 3 was added giving the company over 32,000 spindles and 710 looms with an annual production of 9.3 million yards of cloth annually. Almost another decade passed before Mill 4 was built.
Although the canal now terminates at Pine Street, when the complex was operating the canal flowed in front of the mills as shown in this 1920 plot plan. Individual penstocks, or pipes, from the canal supplied water directly to each building's power apparatus.
With the addition of Mills 3 and 4, new technology was brought on-line. These two mills were now run by water turbines wheels. In these wheels, the water enters from above the horizontally placed wheel. Water turbine could deliver much more power than a water wheel for the same amount of water supplied, thereby improving the productivity of the machinery. As shown below, the turbines were attached to shafts which in turn were connected to gears and pulleys which produced mechanical power to run the machinery.
Construction at the complex continued for over 90 years until the mill complex grew to 34 buildings on a 61-acres that stretched along the southern bank of the Nashua River. Despite the growth and new construction, the focal point has always been the long row (circa 1830s-1860) of 5 brick buildings situated along the river.
Originally each mill was a separate structure. Starting in 1856, the space between the mills was gradually enclosed until a single continuous building of 1,000 feet in length was obtained. This is the building design that we still see today. At its peak in 1912, Nashua Manufacturing Co. employed over 3,000 people and by 1928 was reputed to be the largest blanket mill in the world. However in the 1930s competition from textile mills in the south reduced the company's ability to compete
It was fun wandering around the mill complex and snapping pictures of what remains from this powerhouse of a company.
Mill Number 7 was built in 1904 and the clocktower added in 1913. The building forms the boundary with other downtown buildings. Mill 7, the last substantial mill to be erected, supported the the company's increasing blanket business.
Just separate from the mill row is the Picker Building (1866) where picking and carding were carried out. These are the first steps in the cotton manufacturing process. In the most simple of definitions, carding involves removing impurities from cotton fibers and lumps so the cotton can be drawn into sliver or combed threads.
Mystery solved! With no mill operations and no operating penstocks, the canal now discharges water to the Nashua River through an underground pipe beneath the Picker Building.
The Wheel House is set into a hill in front of Mills 3 and 4. It was originally built in 1874 to house water turbines which provided mechanical power to run the textile machinery. The present building, however, dates to the early 1900s.
Across the river from the row of mills is the South Cotton Storehouse which was built in 1916. It represents the last major building period of the complex. The building is connected to the row of mills via the Warren Truss Bridge built in 1902.
The bridge was originally covered in wood and was designed to transport raw cotton to the production mills located across the river.
Originally the Cotton House, pictured below, provided warehouse space but later the building was converted to support turbine operations for boiler and steam production. There is an impressive cast iron steel pipe structure on the back of the building but I haven't been able to identify its purpose. Key dates relative to power production at the complex:
In 1882, the mills converted from water power to coal-fired boilers.
In 1902, the mills were fully electrified but also continued to utilize steam boilers
In 1945 Textron Corporation acquired the mills and made major reductions in production and labor force. By 1948, the mill shut down for good. Approximately 25% of the City's labor force was left out of work.
In the 1970s the City moved to repurpose many of the mill buildings, and they now contain apartments, shops, restaurants and galleries. Although several areas continued to be abandoned and neglected.
Women in the Textile Industry
As mentioned earlier, in 1835 the Nashua Manufacturing Co employed 417 females and 87 males. This heavy reliance on women was not unusual in the industry. People believed that machinery made textile mill work "easy" enough for women and children to provide most of the labor, under the supervision of male overseers. Nonetheless, some of the working and living conditions such as 12- to 14-hour workdays for six days a week for both adult and child workers; low wages; deafening noise; dangerous machinery; unhealthful, fiber-laden air; and overcrowded housing made the work far from "easy". Typical pay for these workers in the mid 1800s was 30-50¢ per day.
Women wore long dresses, long sleeves, and long hair, and being careless could be disastrous. Catching a sleeve in the machinery meant losing a hand or an arm. A strand of hair, fallen out of its bun in the humidity and into the machinery could cost a woman her scalp. The women worked very carefully, holding their bodies well away from the moving parts as they reached in to fix a problem.
Young women typically toiled for only a few years in the mills during their late teens and early twenties before marrying and leaving the factories to start a family. Other women, however, such as widows, spinsters, and poor immigrants, could work for many more years.
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