Easton & Burnham Machine Company

About this Property

#Reason for Demolition

A fire all but gutted this two-story complex on March 28, 2007. It was going to be converted into commercial rental space but we heard that the insurance had lapsed. The building stood in a burned-out condition from 2007 until about 2015 when it was razed, according to aerial photos.

Previously, it looked like this complex had been out of use for over ten years. One of the doors mentioned “Standardized Uniform Service” and another alluded to “Perry Blackburn, Inc.” and “Pee Bee Industries”. This complex was part of a larger renovation called the “Lily Pads”, and for a time they were planned to be developed into live/work condominiums.

This complex, along with New England Paper Tube, is part of the Conant Street Industrial Park, previously known as the Jenckes Spinning Company. There are many complexes of buildings around this area and it is very industrial in nature. In May 2020, a much larger mill fire took out much of the nearby Paramount Cards complex that bordered Pawtucket and Central Falls. The removal of mills via fire might lead to new residential neighborhood developments, but nothing has happened yet.

#Current Events

😢 The site is now a parking lot.

#History

From a Pawtucket Mill Building survey, prepared by the Preservation Society of Pawtucket, 1990; National Register nomination for the Jenckes Spinning Company

A two-story brick mill featuring large double 9 over 9 and 6 over 9 windows with segmental arched openings and granite stone sills. The roof is of a minimum pitch with small overhang. Originally, this building was the second structure erected for the Easton and Burnham Machine Company. The company moved from an earlier 1882 mill that was sold to the Jenckes Spinning Company to be used as a cafeteria. Easton and Burnham had a long-established business relationship with the Fales and Jenks Machine Works, furnishing spindles for their spinning frames. The company remained at the 1882 location until 1913 when they built this new plant at Lily Pond, Conant and Pine Streets near the northwest corner of the Jenckes Spinning Company plant.

From Pawtucket Past and Present, being a brief account of the beginning and progress of its industries and a resume of the early history of the city, Slater Trust Company; written 1917, available from Providence College Digital Commons

The Easton & Burnham Machine Company was established in 1849 in Providence by N. R. Easton and C. C. Burnham. A decade later the business was moved to Pawtucket, and the present plant was erected in 1882. The company was incorporated in 1891, and about this time Frederic W. Easton was elected treasurer. It manufactures spindles used in the making of cotton, wool, and silk goods. Other textile machinery made by the company are improved upright spoolers. The officers are: N. Howard Easton, president and secretary; Frederic W. Easton, treasurer.