Owner: Mr. Rodgers, William Reeves
Industry type: Textile mill, Machine shop
Location: Rockford, French Street, Brandywine Village
Active dates: c. 1828-1832.
Business occupied multiple locations, click to view Brandywine map
Summary: In the summer of 1827, the City of Wilmington purchased the Old Shipley Mill at the foot of French Street in Brandywine Village and converted it into a pumping station for the city's waterworks. When construction was finished, the city leased a section of the waterworks not used for pumping equipment to Rodgers and Reeves for their cotton-spinning operation. The mill operated during the day and water pumped at night.Rodgers and Reeves may have been renting Rockford from the Brandywine Mill Seat Company for use as a machine shop during the same time period. The company had gone bankrupt and sold their equipment by 1832. William Reeves went into partnership with Joseph Wood and they continued to use a portion of the mill for machine manufacturing.
Citations: Boatman, Roy. The Brandywine Cotton Industry, 1795-1865. Hagley Research Report, 1957.