River Works Park

John Russell sought to create a source of metal tool products in the United States, beginning with a small steam-powered facility, J. Russell & Company, on land just east of the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage in Greenfield. In 1836, John and his brother Francis moved the factory to the banks of the Green River to use water power from Bascom Dam, but within weeks a large portion of the complex burned down, and before rebuilding could begin, a major flood swept away the dam and most of the remaining buildings. A new dam, later called the Wiley & Russell dam, was built, and with financial backing from Henry W. Clapp, the factory was rebuilt as the Green River Works. Green River Works became the country's first cutlery factory to use the American factory system, bringing mechanization to production and competing with the famous cutlery of Sheffield, England. By 1837, Green River Works had seventy employees, and in 1870 the company moved to neighboring Turners Falls to expand.

Greenfield, Massachusetts · United States