Established in 1875 by an English immigrant named Charles Fletcher, the 1867 Rising Sun Mill became the first building in Fletcher's yarn factory, Providence Worsted Mill. The operation began in a an old stone mill called Rising Sun Mill around which the brick factory campus expanded. The original Rising Sun Mill eventually burned down but its name was resurrected for the most recent housing conversion that is taking place on the property. Over the years, Providence grew to be the leading manufacturer of worsted cloth. Worsted produces a smooth and polished fabric, ideal for coats, cloaks and military uniforms. Another of Fletcher's mill complexes, the National Worsted Mill, merged with the Providence Mill in 1893 to become the National and Providence Worsted Mills. Around the early-1890s, the company employed 750 workers from Providence and surrounding areas and was one of the largest consumers of wool in the nation. National and Providence became the American Woolen Company in the mid-1890s, and production at the mills continued into the 1950s.

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