Charles River Museum of Industry

Power up your imagination! Get your inventiveness in gear! For an industrial strength museum experience, come visit the Charles River Museum of Industry.

We're located on the scenic banks of the Charles River in the historic 1814 Boston Manufacturing Company textile mill, on the National Register of Historic Places as America's first factory.

Hear the tale of Francis Cabot Lowell, who risked life and fortune when he secretly memorized plans for English power looms, then developed a system of manufacturing that propelled the newly-formed United States to the top of world's industrial might.

Learn about the fabled Waltham Watch Company, which perfected the process of mass production as it produced more than 40 million watches during 100 years of operation. Waltham continues to be known internationally as the "Watch City."

Explore the inventions that powered America into the modern age -- steam engines, generators, timepieces, machine tools, bicycles, automobiles, and hundreds of other gizmos - plus the geniuses who perfected them.

Experience the room-shaking uproar of vintage precision machinery in operation, powered in the traditional manner by overhead line shafts.

Inspire your own Yankee ingenuity. Visit us soon!

About Charles River Museum of Industry

In 1976, the Bicentennial issue of Life magazine declared that Francis Cabot Lowell's factory in Waltham was the fourth most important development to shape America.

Unfortunately, Lowell's factory was virtually dead when it received the honor. After 150 years of production, the historic facility was shuttered, neglected, and perilously close to demolition.

Luckily, the mill's fortunes soon turned. The site was granted status on the National Register of Historic Places. Waltham received a $10 million urban revitalization grant, which allowed the site to be renovated and preserved.

As part of the site's renovation, a group of cultural, civic, and business leaders created the Charles River Museum of Industry in what had been the mill's massive steam-powered engine and boiler rooms. Following a monumental campaign of fundraising, cleaning, building, planning, and installation, the museum opened its doors in 1980.