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The company developed and produced thousands of thread products such as, for clothing, bedding, shoe laces, stitching baseballs, automobile interiors and tea bags. The 19th century was devoted to cotton products which were mass produced on water powered machinery driven by the Willimantic River. In the 20th century, the company produced thread products of all descriptions including man=made synthetics and blends. The dying of these products was accomplished with thousands of colors developed in their chemistry department. The company progressed to steam power and electric power.

The factory complex started with buildings of stone, quarried from the river bed, and brick structures built by Irish and Italian masons, respectively. It grew into one of the largest thread complexes in the world. The most famous structure was Mill No.4 which was the first electrically lit factory building in the world and thus eliminating the dependency on sunlight. Thomas Edison’s designs were utilized in the construction.
The company used mules and horses and also a three foot gauge steam engine train to
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