Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Harvard Knitting Mills, Albion and Foundry Streets, looking from Murray Street, circa 1911

Description

"Winship, Boit & Co., proprietors of Harvard Knitting Mills, moved its ladies' jersey underwear manufacturing business from Cambridge to the third floor of the Wakefield Block (later the Taylor Building) on Main Street in 1889. Established in 1888 by Dudley Hosiery Mill and Allston Mill co-workers, Charles N. Winship and Elizabeth E. Boit , the business outgrew its 2,000 sq. ft. factory. In 1897, the company purchased 14,000 feet of land at the corner of Albion and Foundry Streets. The main building was occupied in January 1898 and had three floors and a basement, with two towers at each end. Business was brisk, with six additions built from 1901 to 1921. At one time, the company employed more than 850 people and had over 250,000 square feet of floor space. Winship, Boit & Co. itself was progressive. In 1917, the company instituted a maternity leave for its female employees, and in 1920, the company attracted national attention when it started a profit-sharing plan for employees. Both Mr. Winship and Miss Boit lived in Wakefield and were among the town's leading citizens - he served as a member of the school committee and as a founder of the town's chapter of the red Cross, while she was the founder of the Elizabeth E. Boit Home for Aged Women." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2009

Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

ca. 1911

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

[Wakefield, Mass.] : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

Harvard Knitting Mills (Wakefield, Mass.)

Textile industry

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

18 x 32 cm.