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THE DYKE MILL BULLETIN

PUBLISHED BY THE DYKE MILL, MONTAGUE, MASSACHUSETTS. MARCH, 1911, NO. I.

THE Dyke Mill is an industrial and social experiment in a New England country village. It has been founded in the belief that man's work lies rightfully in the country and that even today and in the midst of a commercial civilization, attended as it is by the "regimentation" which Herbert Spencer so deplored, it is possible to organize a small group industry along human and enjoyable lines.

The work has been incorporated under the laws of the state of Massachusetts, and the certificate of incorporation authorizes the Mill to "manufacture various articles of use and bcauty; rugs, furniture, dyed linen thread, printing, etc., under more than ordinarily favorable conditions, ethically, artistically and socially. The Mill will undertake any manufacturing in the artistic crafts which may be adapted to a modified shop system, and may combine such social features as will lend assistance to the furtherance of the work, from conferences and classes to final full ownership of the plant and business solely by the workers in the enterprize. To promote and encourage the union of agriculture and the crafts." To begin with, an interesting group of old buildings was bought on the outskirts of the village, and adequate water power was obtained at the same time. The buildings have had an important part in the town's industrial life, and their restoration and re-use for manufacturing purposes pick up a local tradition and carry it on to new developments.

The industries housed at the Mill will be taken up at length in the BULLETIN, which will also treat of the various activities centered around the Mill.

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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The Dyke Mill was originally the Richardson & Dike (later J. Dike & Sons) chair and sofa factory, built in the 1840s. In 1909, the Dyke Mill incorporated itself with the intention of creating an Arts & Crafts outpost in Montague. Its utopian ideals are evident in the text, particularly visible in its emphasis on rural life as a cure for societal ills. Probably its most famous product was Carl Rollins, who founded the Montague Press, a precursor to Dyke Mill. Rollins went on to run Yale University Press, which by mid-century was one of the most respected presses in the country. Dyke Mill press continued publishing until some point after the 1950s.

 

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"The Dyke Mill Bulletin, No. I"

printer   Montague Press
publisher   Dyke Mill, Incorporated
date   1911
location   Montague, Massachusetts
height   9.0"
width   6.0"
process/materials   printed paper, ink
item type   Periodicals/Magazine
accession #   #L02.030


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See Also...

"An American"

"The Cabinetwork at New Clairvaux"

Handicraft Vol. III, No. 11 -"How They Do It In Deerfield"


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