Harvard Knitting Mill, Albion, Foundry and Maple Streets, June 1913
Description:
"Flatlock Operators at Harvard Knitting Mills used Flatlock machines which created a 'very strong, soft almost flat seam no thicker than the fabric itself'. The seam, patented on March 31, 1908 and introduced to the trade in 1913, was made in one 'operation' at a very high speed. The company touted its 'Harvard Mills (hand-finished) Underwear' with it's 'flat-lock single thickness seam' in national advertisements, with a disclaimer at the bottom stating that if a dealer didn't carry 'Harvard Mills', they undoubtedly carried the company's Merode brand, in the same attractive styles and p[rice. Established by Charles N. Winship and Elizabeth E. Boit in Cambridgeport, MA as Winship-Boit Company in 1888, the company moved to Wakefield's Taylor Building in 1889. Due to the success of their Merode hand-finished knit underwear, the company bought land at Albion and Foundry Streets in 1897, and a three-story building, with basement, was built on the land. The company continued to grow rapidly, with six major additions from 1901 to 1921. The popularity of knit undergarments started to decline in the late 1920s, and by the mid 1930s, parts of the buildings were rented out to other companies. Parts of the complex were sold, and in 1955, the main mill was sold." Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2012 Photo courtesy of JC Marketing Associates
