Overabove Volume 1: Falls River Cove | Page 59

THE DECLINE OF SHIPBUILDING Although the Williams Shipyard Complex went bankrupt in the 1840s, shipbuilding in Essex continued for another 40 years. During this time ships as large as 1,000 tons were built. The age of sail and wooden ships would decline over the course of the 19th century; competition from steamboats, improved turnpikes and eventually the railroad provided several alternatives for commerce and transportation. As an energy source, water power yielded to steam engines and later combustion engines; the yard’s position on Falls River Cove was no longer so advantageous. Smaller yards could not compete with larger ones located in coastal cities with deep-water ports. Despite steam dredges, as vessels grew ever-larger, the sandbar at the mouth of the Connecticut River would always supply clearance challenges. In time, the Williams Complex’s many structures diversified into a number of smaller-scale operations. Still harnessing the Falls River’s waterpower, the firm of Post & Strickland produced buttons in the late 1840s. Tiley & Pratt produced fancy bone products at Falls River Cove, eventually moving one mile upriver to another dam. Later firms include a paint and chemical company, a wood-turning shop and a tool manufacturer. The end of the 19th century saw the former sawmill producing hardware for coffins. With each incarnation, the area’s connection to shipbuilding slipped further from collective memory. Early 20th century postcards romantically depict the site as simply “The Old Grist Mill.” Some support structures burned; the dam’s wooden bridge was taken down in the 1920s for the public’s safety; Mill Road ceased to exist as a through-way. Modest residential development marked both sides of Falls River Cove by the late 20th century. Time, tide and silt erased physical reminders of the Williams Shipyard Complex. Sash & Blind factory 59