When you think of the higher education system in Massachusetts, UMass probably comes to mind, or maybe one of the state universities at Bridgewater or Worcester. Or maybe you think of Bristol Community College or even MassArt. But did you know at one time Massachusetts was home to three textile schools which offered courses in cotton manufacturing, chemistry and dyeing, and even knitting?
In 1895, the legislature passed Act Chapter 475, An Act Relative To The Establishment Of Textile Schools, as a way to bolster the state’s textile industry and as a way to bring textile education to cities within the Commonwealth. Textile institutes would open in New Bedford, Lowell, and Fall River.
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| Original building on Purchase Street. |
In 1898, the New Bedford Textile School opened on Purchase Street. The original building included an office, library, classrooms, as well as space for the necessary machinery for the manufacturing of cotton yarns and fabrics. Throughout the years, the school would expand and evolve. In 1902, the school at New Bedford would be the first to offer a course in knitting. In 1947, the school would change its name to the New Bedford Textile Institute (NBTI) and offer more course subjects like rayon processing, hosiery finishing, physics, and electrical engineering. Just like other colleges, NBTI had a thriving campus life. Students could join fraternities and sororities, partake in school athletics, and even published their own yearbook, aptly titled,
The Fabricator.
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The NBTI's football team, The Red Raiders. The team would play
against other state colleges, like Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Image from the Fabricator, 1951. |
The Lowell Textile School would open in 1897 in downtown Lowell. Like its New Bedford counterpart, the school offered courses in cotton and woolen manufacturing, chemistry, and mechanical engineering. In 1928 the school would also officially become a Textile Institute and would begin offering evening courses. While the textile school would close in 1971, the state college at Lowell would continue its focus in engineering and technology courses. Today, University of Massachusetts Lowell is known for its prestigious engineering program. For more information on the history of UMass Lowell’s College of Engineering, visit the UML site.
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From the Bradford Durfee College
of Technology Bulletin, 1962-64 |
Located in Fall River, the Bradford Durfee College of Technology first began as a state textile school. Along with the school in New Bedford, it would also become part of the larger University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Opened in 1904, the textile school in Fall River boasted a mill building and dye house for the education of its students. Unlike the schools at Lowell and New Bedford, the Fall River institution was named for a prominent, local textile leader.
UMass Dartmouth notes that the land for the school was donated by Sarah S. Brayton, who had one request that the school be named in honor of her relative, Durfee. See the
1901 Act Chapter 175 authorizing the Trustees of the school to officially change the name from the Fall River Textile School to the Bradford Durfee Textile School. Like the others, the school would expand and change with the demands of the textile industry as well as with demands for more diverse course offerings. By 1957, the institute was now a recognized college adding courses in languages, business administration, and fashion design and illustration. For more information on the history of UMass Dartmouth and its role in textile education, see the
University’s Archives and Special Collections guides.
If you are interested in learning more about these textile schools, want to check out the historical course catalogs, or yearbooks, contact the Reference Department by email: reference.department@mass.gov, phone: 617-727-2590, or stop in for a visit!
April Pascucci
Reference Librarian
