Bates Manufacturing Company. Edwards Division

Edwards Mill, cotton mill founded in Augusta, Me., in 1845; purchased in 1868 by Sprague Manufacturing Company and in 1883 by Edwards Manufacturing Company which greatly enlarged the plant; employed ca. 2000 persons and became a major producer of clothing during World War II; in 1945 purchased by Bates Manufacturing Company and became known as its Edwards Division; later buildings purchased by Augusta Development Corporation in order to prevent the company's closing; in 1973 mill again purchased by Edwards Manufacturing Company, a division of Miller Industries; plant destroyed by fire in 1989 but land and adjacent dam held by Edwards until 1999 when it was transferred to the state in order to restore the Kennebec River fishery.

From the description of Edwards Manufacturing Company records, 1882-1948. (Maine Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 70974587