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The Grundy Mill Complex
Photograph from Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission collection

The Grundy Mills complex consists of a number of buildings constructed over a 55 year period, which operated as one unit for the milling, storage, and power for the worsted mills of the William H. Grundy Co. William Hulme Grundy, who had family ties in the Bristol area stretching back several generations, began in the woolen industry in Philadelphia in 1870. In 1876 he moved his operation to the newly constructed Bristol Worsted Mills. Historian Doron Green described Grundy as a "public spirited and broad minded business man [who] did much to advance the interests of the town." First built as the Bristol Worsted Mills, the buildings range in height from one to seven stories, and the most distinctive feature of the complex is the clock tower, dating from 1911. Located in the mill district of Bristol, the buildings date from Bristol's key period of industrial and population growth, from 1876 to 1930, and reflect Bristol's role as a premier industrial center of Bucks County. The mill was the first of five large manufacturing facilities built by the Bristol Improvement Company beginning in 1876. This facility was the most successful of all the textile operations launched in Bristol in the 19th century and by 1920 it was the largest employer in Bucks County. Grundy Mills remained in operation until 1946, when the facility was sold; it has since been converted to other industrial operations. According to the Third Industrial Directory of Pennsylvania 1919, the Grundy Mill Complex employed more than 850 workers, making it, by far, the county's largest single employer. Its importance in Bristol was drastic: the Grundy Mills employed approximately 30 percent of the town's industrial work force.

The Grundy Mills Complex is located at the west corner of Jefferson Ave. & Canal St. The Grundy Mills Complex is not open to the public.

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