Location Location Location

So why did we chose the Chase Mill?

Besides the obvious financial reasons, it and the surrounding mills have a unique and storied history, which we felt was something we wanted to be immersed in while creating the modern medium of Video games.

The Chase mill, also known as the Colchester Mill, was constructed in 1880 by the Burlington Mill Co as a cotton production plant. This photograph was taken by the esteemed Louise Hine of the mill sometime between 1908 and 1912 and was part of his series dedicated to exposing the dangerous working conditions of children during his era.

The Mill was partially destroyed in the Floor of ’27 when nearly eight inches of rain fell for 45 hours straight, right after a considerable storm that had already oversaturated the soil. Nearly all of that water was pushed into the riverway and both the Chase Mill and the Champlain Mill, across the way, were flooded.

While the mills were rebuilt and reopened for work, they only stayed in production until 1956. History seems to get a little hazy after that, but the mill was later repurposed into office spaces for small local business.

Bibliography:

1. "Frametemplate." The Winooski Mills. St. Michael's College. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://academics.smcvt.edu/winooskimills/millshistory/homeframe.htm>.


2. Wargo, William E. "HISTORICAL LOOK AT WINOOSKI." HISTORICAL LOOK AT WINOOSKI. The Historical Society of Winooski. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://onioncity.com/htm/historical_look.htm>.


3. "The History Place - Child Labor in America: Investigative Photos of Lewis Hine." The History Place - Child Labor in America: Investigative Photos of Lewis Hine. The History Place. Web. 31 May 2012. <http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/childlabor/>.