Looking just ahead, you’ll spot a dramatic brick building with ornate details, large arched windows, a grand entrance, and a distinctive tower rising at its left rear corner-right across from the Mill River.
Now, imagine the clang and hum of industry as you stand here-this spot once filled with the clatter of tacks and nails being made. The Albert Field Tack Company started way back in the 1820s, before electricity, when folks relied on good old muscle and a bit of luck to power the machines. Albert Field bought up this land in the 1850s, and with business booming, he celebrated by building this striking Italianate office in 1868. Not your average boring factory shack-this place looked so fancy next to the practical brick wings stretching toward the river, like a CEO wearing a tuxedo while everyone else is in overalls! Generations ago, workers here made upholstery tacks, brads, and shoe nails that traveled all around New England. The company grew big enough for two more factories but was snapped up by Atlas Tack in 1896, and by 1902, the action here fizzled out. Over time, this site became a Pentecostal church and a home for local businesses. Today, it’s apartments-so if you ever hear a ghostly tap-tap at night, maybe someone’s still trying to finish their shift!
