Hexamer General Survey #687 (1873), "Solomon Wild's Frankford Woolen Mill."
Frankford Woolen Mill, c.1827
1244 Adams Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19124 (west side below East Wingohocking Street)
© Barbara M. Auwarter and
Joyce Halley, Workshop of the World (Oliver
Evans Press, 1990).
The Hexamer Survey of
1873 1
states that there
were "buildings erected from 1827..." on this site. At
the time of this survey, Solomon Wild (or Wilde) owned
the Frankford Woolen Mill which was supervised by his
brother, Joseph. Seventy-five hands "(15 Men, 10
Boys, and 50 Girls)" were employed to manufacture doeskin
and yarns with "Wool extracted from Cotton and Woolen
Rags by chemical operations, done on the
premises."
In 1888, 2
the site was
still known as the Frankford Woolen Mill. However, in
1889, 3
the site was
listed as Calcutta Mills (Mixed Mills) with the building
to the west housing a machine shop, wool carding, store
room, and mule spinning, and the building to the east
housing cotton carding, cotton spinning, and mule
spinning.
Hexamer General Survey #2332 ((1890), "E.S.
Handy, Sr., Assignee, Calcutta
Mills."
By 1894, 4
Edward S. Handy,
Jr.'s firm occupied the entire mill site as the Bingham
Works; by 1910, 5
it was known as
Stanley Manufacturing Company; and by 1920,
6
Robert McGowan
& Sons, Mills. Today the western part of the mill is
occupied by Dartco Manufacturing at 1244 Adams Avenue and
the eastern part by Precision WeldFab Company at 1250
Adams Avenue.
1 Hexamer General Survey
#687 (1873), "Solomon Wild's Frankford Woolen
Mill."
2 Philadelphia City
Atlas, 1888, 23rd Ward, Plate 25
3 Hexamer General Survey #284, "Wilson's
Frankford Woolen Mills."
4 Philadelphia City
Atlas, 1894, 23rd Ward, Plate 1
5 Philadelphia City
Atlas, 1910, 23rd Ward, Plate 3
6 Philadelphia City
Atlas, 1920, 23rd Ward, Plate 3
Update May
2007 (by
Torben Jenk):
Occupied by an auto repair business. Stable but poor
condition.
See
also:
Hexamer General Survey #1546 (1881),
"Calcutta Mills, C.S. & J.P.
Jones."
Hexamer General Survey #2332 ((1890), "E.S.
Handy, Sr., Assignee, Calcutta Mills."