Revitalizing
a former
19th century
textile mill
The Arctic Mill site was first developed in 1834 by Rufus Wakefield who produced woolen goods. The original building was torn down when A. W. Sprague bought the site in 1852 for $11,400. The Spragues built a large stone dam with a 30-foot fall, the highest in the state, and a large four-story stone cotton mill.
In 1885, the property was bought by B. B. & R. Knight, who operated 35,824 spindles and 1,039 looms in the mill. The Knights withdrew from textiles in the 20th century; but the mill continued to be used for textile manufacture until at least 1939.
By the 1920s, Arctic had surpassed all other West Warwick villages in population. It was not only a major manufacturing center, but a commercial center whose department and specialty stores drew shoppers from all of central Rhode Island. Arctic was central Rhode Island’s “Main Street” until the construction of Warwick’s shopping malls in the 1960s and 1970s altered patterns of commerce in the state.