Editing Fall River, Massachusetts (section)

====19th century====
The early establishment of the textile industry in Fall River grew out of the developments made in nearby [[Rhode Island]], beginning with [[Samuel Slater]] at [[Pawtucket, Rhode Island]] in 1793. In 1811, Col. Joseph Durfee, the Revolutionary War veteran and hero of the Battle of Freetown in 1778, built the Globe Manufactory, a spinning mill at the outlet of Cook Pond on Dwelly St. near what is now Globe Four Corners in the city's South End. (It was part of [[Tiverton, Rhode Island]] at the time.) While Durfee's mill itself was not particularly successful, its establishment marked the beginning of Fall River's time as a mill city.

The real development of Fall River's industry, however, would occur along the falling river from which it was named, about a mile north of Durfee's first mill. The [[Quequechan River]], with its eight falls, combined to make Fall River the best tidewater privilege in southern New England. It was perfect for industrialization—big enough for profit and expansion, yet small enough to be developed by local capital without interference from [[Boston]].<ref>''The Run of the Mill'', Dunwell, Steve, 1978</ref>

The [[Fall River Manufactory]] was established by David Anthony and others in 1813. That same year, the [[Troy Cotton & Woolen Manufactory]] was founded by a group of investors led by [[Oliver Chace]] of Swansea. Chace had worked as a carpenter for [[Samuel Slater]] in his early years. The Troy Mill opened in 1814 at the upper end of the falls.

In 1821, [[Colonel Richard Borden]] (along with Maj. Bradford Durfee) established the [[Fall River Iron Works]] at the lower part of the [[Quequechan River]]. Durfee was a shipwright, and Borden was the owner of a grist mill. After an uncertain start, in which some early investors pulled out, the Fall River Iron Works was incorporated in 1825. The Iron Works began producing nails, bar stock, and other items, such as bands for casks in the nearby [[New Bedford]] [[whaling]] industry. They soon gained a reputation for producing nails of high quality, and business flourished. In 1827, Col. Borden began regular steamship service to [[Providence, Rhode Island]].<ref>[http://www.sailsinc.org/durfee/fallriverironworks.pdf "The Fall River Iron Works Prospered After Shaky Start", Fall River ''Herald News'', October 17, 1989] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051227163555/http://www.sailsinc.org/durfee/fallriverironworks.pdf |date=December 27, 2005 }}</ref>

The [[Fall River Iron Works|American Print Works]] was established in 1835 by Holder Borden, uncle of Col. Richard Borden. With the leadership of the Borden family, the American Print Works (later known as the American Printing Company) became the largest and most important textile company in the city, employing thousands at its peak in the early 20th century. Richard Borden also constructed the [[Metacomet Mill]] in 1847, which today is the oldest remaining textile mill in the city; it is located on Anawan Street.

By 1845, the Quequechan's power had been all but maximized. The Massasoit Steam Mill was established in 1846, above the dam near the end of Pleasant Street. However, it would be another decade or so when improvements in the steam engine by [[George Henry Corliss|George Corliss]] would enable the construction of the first large steam-powered mill in the city, the Union Mills in 1859.

The advantage of being able to import bales of cotton and coal to fuel the steam engines to Fall River's deep water harbor (and ship them out from the same) made Fall River the city of choice for a series of cotton mill magnates. The first railroad line serving Fall River, The Fall River Branch Railroad, was incorporated in 1844 and opened in 1845. In 1847, the first regular steamboat service to [[New York City]] began. The [[Fall River Line]], as it came to be known, operated until 1937, and for many years was the preferred way to travel between [[Boston]] and [[Manhattan]]. The [[Old Colony Railroad]] and Fall River Railroad merged in 1854, forming the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad.

In 1854, Fall River was officially incorporated as a city; it had a population of about 12,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sailsinc.org/durfee/1903.pdf|title=Illustrated History of Fall River, 1903}}</ref> Its first [[List of mayors of Fall River, Massachusetts|mayor]] was James Buffington.

Fall River profited well from the [[American Civil War]] and was in a fine position to take advantage of the prosperity that followed. By 1868, it had surpassed Lowell as the leading textile city in America with over 500,000 spindles.