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Built in 1845 by Jonathan Banes as a cotton mill (spun
cotton into thread) this mill was equipped with 1,000 spindles (the
equivalent of 1,000 spinning wheels) and was known as the "Metamora Cotton
Factory."
By 1845, this factory was in serious financial difficulty because of the import of dry
goods and ready made clothing via canal boat. In 1856, the cotton
machinery was taken out and the establishment changed to a flouring mill
under the ownership of Murry and Banes. Purchased in 1857 by John
Curry, the flouring mill went by the name of John Curry & Son. Curry sold to
Thomas Tague about 1863 and it was known then as "Hoosier Mill". In
1877 the mill was acquired by William McClure and by the early 1880's it was
called "Crescent Mills."
The original three story mill burned sometime between 1882 and 1900. In 1900,
Frank Wright erected a three story brick flouring mill with a daily capacity
of fifty barrels of flour. This mill operated day and night, depending
entirely on hydraulic power. The mill employs a 50 inch hydraulic wheel on
an eight foot fall of water, thus receiving 30 horsepower. Relics of
these hydraulic turbines lie outside the mill today.
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