From Manager to Mill Owner

It was at the Perry Mill that Gardiner utilized the skills that he had so diligently honed to achieve the position of spinning department manager. Just one year later, in September of 1837, Hall returned to Willimantic, Connecticut, to fill a manager position back at the Windham Manufacturing Company. He then moved to assistant superintendent of Asa and Seth Jillson’s Cotton Mill in the same city. In 1842, Gardiner partnered with Moses Harvey and Elijah Fairman at the Valley Mill in Stafford Hollow, Connecticut. With his extensive experience, Gardiner served as both part-owner, and superintendent of the mill. Soon after, he sold his interest in the company and became manager of the Panola Mill, a producer of satinets (satin made from cotton), and cotton roving, in Rockville, Connecticut.