Explore "A Sketch of the Early Days of the Woolen Industry in North Andover, Massachusetts" by Nathaniel Stevens on Textopian.
the following vote recorded under date of the year 1787: "We hereby resolve to refrain from, as far as in our power, to prevent the excessive use and consumption of articles of foreign manufacture, and we will exert our best endeavors for the promotion of industry and our own manufactures. And in particular, that we will exert ourselves to increase our wool and flax as far as is practicable, that we will as far as may be, avoid killing our sheep, or killing them for slaughter after shearing time, till the wool be serviceable for clothing. And that we will exert ourselves to promote and encourage the manufactures of wool and flax and other raw materials into such articles as shall be useful in the community."
This is the first definite action taken by the voters of the Town to encourage manufacturing. Previous to the Revolution, England had discouraged manufacturing in this country. With the exception of saw and grist mills, the powder mill of Samuel Phillips, which was started in 1776 on the site of the Marland Mills in Andover, was the only industry in the town. This industry had a precarious existence. The factory blew up in 1778, and every one who lived near it feared for his life. It was later turned into a paper mill, but this did not succeed very well, and finally in the early part of the last century Abraham Marland established a woolen mill on the site.