Mill series 8 of 14 - read GC8Y7N5 1st
ARNOLD PRINT WORKS
I use to think the local “print works” and “printing” referred to putting ink on paper. It turned out that was wrong. It referred to dying and putting prints on cloth. This factory was one of those places – a Big one..
In 1861 3 brothers, John, Oliver, and Harvey Arnold, began building their own print works after having previous textile experiences in North Adams than began about 1829. In 1863 production began at APW. Due to the high demand for Union Army Uniforms, the business prospered and expanded. In 1871 a fire destroyed 8 buildings but a year later they rebuilt. The great economic panic of 1873 ( through 1877) hurt Arnold print works but a year later they still had a profit of $100,000 and was referred to as ”... the most successful in the country”. At this point the company owned 4 textile plants in North Berkshire to manufacture cloth plus they built many buildings at this location for the printing process. In 1883 Arnold Print Works was considered the largest dying plant in the world with 26 building at this location. By the mid 1890's each day 1,000 employees created 200,000 yards of fabric. At one point the company had 3,200 employees working 11 hour days including 10-15 year old children, and a few even younger. In the early 1900's business started falling off. The demand for printed fabrics faded and WWI contracts went elsewhere. The great depression created even more problems and the plant soon closed.
SPRAGUE ELECTRIC
During WWII this location was was purchased by Sprague Electric and became its headquarters. Sprague designed and manufactured electronic components for state of the art weapons at times employing over 4,000 people at this location. After WWII its components turned more to consumer electronics for items like TV's and radios ( ever have a transistor radio? - thank Sprague). A=116 It expanded plants world wide and eventually sold divisions to other companies. One of those divisions was the North Adams location whos business dwindled and finally closed its doors in 1985 at which time 4,000 people moved out of North Adams and the unemployment shot up to 14%. In 1996 17 homes were demolished at the location of the old fairgrounds which Sprague had purchased and used as a dumping grounds for the toxic waste. ( see my Fairgrounds Puzzle cache for that location).
What to do with the old APW /Sprague locaton? In 1986 the Director of Williams College Museum of Art was looking for a exhibit area for large scale art works. The Mayor of North Adams suggested this area and in 1999 after much cleanup and restoration Mass MoCA, the Largest Contemporary Art Museum in the United States, opened and the result stands before you.
Feel free to walk around and even visit the museum ($ fee). There is a also great Brewery across from the old guard house which is now a BBQ – Who would think of making a guard house a BBQ?.. and speaking of brewery, one quick note about APW and Sprague. I've heard from a few of the locals how the workers from both businesses use to have ropes hanging out the windows in to the cool river below. At the ends of the ropes were baskets containing.... yup, cold beer for lunch. You cant get away with that anymore.
Thanks to the North Adams Historical society for providing information and photos
To solve for this Puzzle:
Final Coords E= The number of trees facing the wrong direction divided by 2
N 42° 41.A W 073° 05.0E0