Author Topic: Exploring Rhode Island Abandoned Mills  (Read 6887 times)

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Offline bob58

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Exploring Rhode Island Abandoned Mills
« on: June 16, 2005, 10:10:22 PM »
Hello....I am wondering if there are any people out there who have had the chance to explore the ROYAL MILLS complex in beautiful West Warwick. I had the chance back around 1985 with my friend Frank. We were into 35mm photography then. We were driving around and ended up in West Warwick and went past the Royal Mills. We looked at each other and without saying a word, knew what the other was thinking. So we parked across the street next to a school and walked over to the mill.  We did'nt go inside cause we wanted to get some good outdoor shots of the place. Frank was a crazy bastard....I turned my back and a few minutes later I heard him shout. I looked up and he was on the friggin' roof of the mill! He said the view was great. He climbed up the fire escape. So while he took some pictures from up there I took some below at ground level.
I still have a couple of those shots somewhere. Has anyone been there lately? It seems the place is patrolled sporadically by West Warwick Police. We used to like to take a portable police scanner and set it to the local police frequency when we went exploring. That way we could keep an ear on the police in case a call came through about "someone tresspassing at the Royal Mills".  But unfortunately the West Warwick Police uses a digitally encrypted signal for transmit/recieve and they can no longer be monitored on a regular scanner. There are digital scanner that can decode the signal but they are $$$$$. Also unfortunately West Warwick has an abundance of abandoned houses and mills, but you cannot monitor the Police. I would like to hear some stories of other people who have explored the Royal Mills and even that mill that burned down a few months ago in Phenix. I always wondere about that mill. As long as I can remember it was abandoned.  How about any other abandoned factories/mills in RI????

Offline Samiix3

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Re: Exploring Rhode Island Abandoned Mills
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2008, 01:10:23 AM »
I live in Coventry and the whole town is basically made up of mill villages and everything. I'm not really sure about the names of them but I do know that Anthony Mill is right on 117 and I'm pretty sure its still in use.. there is also another mill at the intersection of 117 and South Main St. That is also in use it's some kind of pen making factory or something? I also remember when I used to bike ride on the greenway that there is an abandoned looking building.. not really sure what it was but it was between the greenway and 117...

Offline fairground_way

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Re: Exploring Rhode Island Abandoned Mills
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2008, 12:28:20 AM »
the abandoned looking building on the greenway is a tractor-trailer parts wharehouse, they still use the pretty abandoned looking part. the mill in anthony is called concordia, and yep its still in business.

i know of a mill near you that might be accessible because all of the buinesses in it have been shut down and they want to start developing condos (BLECH!)