History of Industry
Village of Hopedale
Hopedale, MA
The Parklands
Hopedale began as a religious community. The Reverend Aden Ballou and his followers attempted to create a perfect community - based on the ideas of pacifism, abolitionism, and temperance. One of his followers, Ebenezer Draper, opened a small machine shop where he made automatic loom temples. This important part of a loom prevents the cloth being woven from bunching up and jamming the machine. Draper's Little Red Shop eventually grew into the Draper Loom Corporation, one of the largest manufacturers of looms in the world.
Draper Loom Temple, photo courtesy of the Little Red Shop
Today, explore Hopedale and see how the goals of the original commune helped guide the growth of this mill village. In particular, take time to visit the Parklands,built around the Hopedale mill pond for the workers to enjoy.
The Parklands