Tensile Testers
Dugan Mill mimics a textile factory floor, with machines from the 1890s through the 1950s. It features an 1890s carding machine; a mill machine shop with wooden patterns, metal patterns, a machinist’s bench, and a machinist’s or fixer’s toolbox; a winding department with three working winders; an overseer’s office; a weaving department with two looms and a creel; a print shop; and a variety of mill tools and implements. One of the most fascinating areas of the Museum, Dugan Mill is located in a separate building that used to house the Willimantic Linen Company’s fire brigade. You will learn about the process of producing the cotton thread and the working conditions in old-time mills.
