Pontiac Mills are historic mills on Knight Street in the village of Pontiac, Rhode Island

Pontiac, Rhode Island

Pontiac is a historic village in Warwick, Rhode Island and Cranston, Rhode Island.-History:Native Americans referred to the area as "Papepieset" or "Toskiounke." After arriving in 1642, the early English settlers called the area "Great Weir" because fishing weirs were used to catch fish near the...

 within the town of Warwick, Rhode Island

Warwick, Rhode Island

Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...

. The mills produced the original Fruit of the Loom

Fruit of the Loom

Fruit of the Loom is an American company which manufactures clothing, particularly underwear. The company's world headquarters is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is currently a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.-Company profile:...

 brand clothing.

The mills were built in 1863 by Robert Knight

Robert Knight (industrialist)

Robert Knight was a New England industrialist and philanthropist, who was a partner with his brother Benjamin Knight in B. B. & R. Knight and was one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world when he died in 1912...

 and Benjamin Knight

Benjamin Knight

Benjamin Knight was a New England industrialist and philanthropist, who was a partner with his brother Robert Knight in the B. B. & R. Knight Company and was one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world when he died in 1898...

 (B.B. & R. Knight Company). The mills produced uniforms for Union soldiers during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. In 1920 Webster Knight sold Fruit of the Loom and the Pontiac Mills. The textile industry in New England began declining shortly after this period. The mills were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.