Welwood Avenue, Hawley This massive three-story, native bluestone building with its castellated roof resembles an ancient European fortress. Dexter. Lambert & Co. of Boston constructed it in 1881 at a cost of $130,000 for the Belmont Silk Mill. William F. Suydam managed the factory. His wife was Christian Dorflinger's daughter, Mary. The building was partially destroyed by fire on August 15, 1894. It was rebuilt with much of the original outside walls intact. At that time the Belmont Silk Mill had about 300 employees. Raw silk was processed in the Orient and shipped to United States factories where the fibers were twisted into silk thread (a process known as "throwing") and made into cloth. Belmont Silk Mill was sold in 1914 to J. C. Welwood Co. It produced a million yards of silk cloth yearly. In 1929 it was again sold and the new proprietor was the Wayne Silk Mills, Inc. Sherman Underwear Mills, maker of ladies' lingerie, started business in the building in 1956. By 1966 it was the second largest employer in manufacturing in Wayne County with 363 employees. It closed in the mid 1980s. The building is now owned and occupied by Castle Antiques & Reproductions.

This page was one month of the calendar and was made possible through the Wayne County Commissioners and a Tourism Promotion Committee’s Tourism Grant.