Alternatives Whitin Mill

The oldest primary building on the site is the 8,100 square-foot, 4-story Brick Mill. Built in 1826, the Mill is believed to be one of the earliest cotton mills erected in New England, and is considered by the National Park Service to be one of the finest examples of original, undisturbed Federalist architecture in the country. The Mill is on the State Register of Historic Places.

Today, this building is home to artisan studio space and three, two bedroom apartments for people Open Sky serves with developmental disabilities. Counselors help the residents connect with neighborhood services, enjoy recreational opportunities and build relationships in the community. The individuals who live in the Brick Mill apartments regularly participate in events happening at the Mill. 

Originally built in 1782 with a reconstruction in 1875, the 900 square-foot Forge is a unique highlight of the property. It is a historically pristine structure and is on the State Register of Historic Places.

Constructed in 1905, this 9,500 square-foot building is now home to an Open Sky administrative office location. The first floor contains the Aldrich Heritage Gallery, an art gallery named for Spaulding R. Aldrich, a long-time supporter and friend of the organization. It features an ongoing and ever changing variety of historic, artistic, and educational exhibits for visitors to enjoy.

This 9,000 square-foot multi-use facility includes space for the performing arts, community gatherings, and ongoing professional development. The first floor of this building houses an Open Sky Employment Program that provides job skills training and employment services for approximately twenty-five people with developmental disabilities. The first floor also has a makers space where weaving classes, set design workshops and other creative pursuits take place. The GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center, a state of the art, multi-use performance, training, conference center, and community events venue is located on the second floor.

The Center is a flexible space suitable for theater, concerts, trainings, professional conferences, and other community uses. 

Constructed in 1944, this 5,200 square-foot two-story brick building is the newest building in the complex. The first floor is used for program offices. The downstairs is home to the Blackstone Valley Family Support Center.

Our 4,000 square-foot Community Plaza, overlooking the Mumford River, serves as a centerpiece for the site and is an outstanding community events venue. The plaza is open to the public and typically has a full schedule of events including the annual Valley Friendship Tour fundraising event, the free Summer Concert Series, and the annual Valley Bag Toss cornhole tournament.

In 1826, the Whitin Family built the Brick Mill and forge that stand today as part of Alternatives’ Whitin Mill complex. In doing so, they ignited in Northbridge a transition from farm to factory and established the Blackstone Valley as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. As their business empire grew, the Whitin family gave back to their community in many ways, great and small.

The Whitin family fortune took root in 1809 when Paul Whitin and James Fletcher established the Northbridge Cotton Manufacturing Co. In 1826, Paul Whitin bought out the Fletcher shares in the company and built the brick mill that stands today on the site.

By the 1830s, John Crane Whitin, the son of Paul and Betsy Whitin, patented a new, more efficient cotton picker. With this revolutionary development the now Whitin Machine Works expanded into a creator of textile-making machinery designed so precisely that it could run around the clock for decades.

Growth continued. In 1845, Betsy Whitin and four of her sons, Paul, Nathaniel, John and James, built the Whitinsville Cotton Mill (now Cotton Mill Apartments). 1847 they built ‘The Shop’ – four times larger than the brick mill. The Shop became the new home of the Whitin Machine Works, which went into full textile machinery production that year. In 1875, the Whitinsville Spinning Ring Co. was established at the site of the Brick Mill and began making machinery that would again revolutionize the textile industry.

The Whitin companies and the Whitin family were known for how well they took care of their workers. Paychecks at The Shop might not have been the highest, but the amenities the company provided its workers – both directly and indirectly – enhanced their standard of living. Spaces were created where workers could meet and mingle, regardless of religious or cultural differences. The Whitins also supported ecumenical services, harvest festivals, and pot luck suppers. In 1922, the family built the Whitinsville fire station – any worker living in company housing who joined the fire department got free rent.

Today, land and buildings donated by the family are home to many viable enterprises, among them the Beaumont Adult Day Center and the Whitinsville Community Center. The Whitins also built Town Hall, Whitin LaSell High School, the Aldrich School, and the Whitinsville Social Library.

The Whitin family legacy of sustainable investment lives on in its contributions to the town, and in spirit.

A short film, “Whitin” was released in 2024, covering the history of the Whitin Mill. It can be watched for free on YouTube. 

Andy Volpe is an artist, printer and Living History presenter in the Worcester area. He holds a Fine Arts degree from Westfield State University, where he fell in love with the artists of the Renaissance and Early Modern periods. He studied graphics printing from 1450–1800 and focuses on Intaglio/copperplate printing. Andy works with the Museum of Printing in Haverhill giving presentations and printing demos, and the Printing Office of Edes & Gill replicating the engravings of Paul Revere. When he’s not printing, he can be found at Worcester Art Museum Higgins Armory giving arms & armor programs with several living history groups, at various living history events in New England, and history presentations to area schools and libraries. Andy can be found on his website, Facebook, or Instagram.

Charlotte Eckler is a freelancer who works as an artist, writer, translator and editor, and as a beekeeper with a unique apiary. ABC Apiary sells honey, unique candles, and bee-themed collages. She is very tied to cycles of nature, care of her environment, and living sustainably. She holds degrees in journalism and English, lived abroad for over a decade, and has been a creative all her life. She has been enrolled in art programs at Worcester Art Museum, Fitchburg State University, as well as from private teachers and art centers. She has exhibited in many genres and continually developed her skills into multimedia processes that explore themes of social and environmental justice. Currently she is working on a memoir and converting her partnership Dream Coordination Office, LLC into a publishing house.

Laura Parker Roerden has twenty-five years of public speaking ranging from hands-on school, church and community presentations to conference roundtables to media appearances to keynotes. A poet, 4th generation family farmer, educator and ocean conservationist, Laura weaves unexpected threads together to inspire belonging; deep connection to ourselves, nature, and one another; and responsible action. Her most recent work centers on the application of social, emotional, and ethical learning to environmental education. See her website for some samples and a list of publications.