Abbot Worsted Keychain
From the Industry Exhibit
Security today may consist of electronic keycards or knowing the right password. Past security measures sometimes involved a chain of several unique keys to be carried by specific people. Our keychain has 14 keys attached. At least one of the keys was for the Methodist Track Store-house.
The Abbot Worsted Company was founded in 1855 by John W.P. Abbot (1806-1872), the son John W. Abbot (1834-1897), and Charles G. Sargent (1822-1900). The original mill was built in 1855 on N. Main St., and replaced by “Mill #1” after being burned down in 1858. Abbot Worsted later purchased the Forge Village Horse and Nail buildings in 1879, completing the present large brick mill in 1910. The company went out of business in 1956 after moving south. Murray Printing (Courier Corp.) owned the site until 2003. After the sale of the property, the buildings on the site were converted into apartments by 2012.
They keys were donated in 1983 by the J.V. Fletcher Library.
Keys
Metal, paper tags
Undated
W.2002.99.1