Why Mill No. 2 Was Built
After the Willimantic Linen Company became the dominant textile manufacturer in the city of Willimantic. They erected their first mill in 1857, later known as Mill No. 1. Then in 1864, the company constructed Mill No. 2. The reasoning behind the mill’s construction was to add additional facilities that would contribute to the rising success of the already flourishing company. The construction of Mill No. 2 gave a boom to the production of linen for the Willimantic Linen Company.
This mill was able to be constructed without taking a toll on the Willimantic Linen Company’s budget due to large war-time profits that was gained from stockpiled cotton and cotton sales that were conducted during the American Civil War. The company’s profits gave themselves the ability to spend over one million dollars for the construction of Mill No. 2.