History
Built in 1880, our site was originally the home of John Chase & Sons Woolen Mill. The original main buildings were three and four stories tall and occupied 112,000 square feet. It is situated on a 14-acre spot located on the banks of the French River in a part of town known as Chaseville.
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According to old plot plans, the French river was dammed
up at two locations at Hill Road and diverted into a canal that ran
along the front of the mill by the main tower, going through a pump
house that was used to provide power to the mill. The canal then
rejoined the French River on the south side of the property.
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During
the 1920s and 1930s, the Waterhouse company purchased the mill and
manufactured car parts there, primarily upholstery and leather roofs
for the autos. The factory also turned out some car bodies, although
their number was fewer than 300. One of the more famous ones was
purchased by Douglas Fairbanks Sr.
With the onslaught of the
great depression, the mill was known to manufacture several different
items including chicken cages, truck bodies and pressure gauges. During
World War II, the factory was converted to manufacture canvas products
for the war effort.
It was coming out of this era that the
decision was made to manufacture furniture at the plant under the name
of Dudley Furniture. In 1958, Ethan Allen acquired the mill and used it
to manufacture several of the Ethan Allen lines. At its height, the
plant employed around 200 people from the community.
In the
early 1970s, two major additions were added onto the complex—one being
a 43,000 square foot, two story warehouse on the south side, complete
with modern shipping bays.
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The other is a 20,000 square foot office/warehouse building on the north side of the facility.
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Purchased
in September of 2007, by Chase Mill Realty, the possibilities of the
complex are endless. The owners would like to develop it into a
multifaceted business center with retail shops, light industrial, small
businesses, office and storage space.
Google satellite picture of complex
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