In 1775, the American Revolution was underway and the 13 colonies were fighting their hardest to win the war. At that time, Massachusetts had no mills that manufactured gunpowder, and without any readily available ammunition produced locally, the men and women had little to keep the British army at bay. In November of 1775 the General Court finally voted to build the necessary mills and after much deliberation they chose the town of Stoughton to house them.
At the same time in Andover, Samuel Phillips Jr. (founder of Phillips Academy) foresaw the advantages of this manufacture both as a private enterprise and as a public necessity. Phillips then made a proposition to the court that would allow him to build a mill in Andover at his own expense. The proposal was accepted with the Commonwealth paying a rate of eight pence per pound for the gunpowder that he would manufacture.
Phillips realized the importance of building his mill first and lost no time in beginning operations. He obtained an order from the General Court permitting him to employ Mr. Harling as the master-workman of the powder mill. Mr. Harling was originally hired to be the master-workman at the mill in Stoughton. Once Phillips hired Harling and the builder, Mr. Samuel Cunnable, he called a meeting with the citizens of Andover. He explained the necessity of dispatch and engaged large numbers of citizens to join in the work of constructing the mill. To stimulate the workers' ambition and to hasten the production, Phillips worked alongside his employees to get the job done faster.
As to the gunpowder itself, Phillips' boyhood friend, Eliphalet Pearson (later to be the first school master at the new academy), was hired to do the experiments necessary to produce an effective powder. After 13 tests, Pearson finally received a successful reaction and the mill was prepared to begin deliveries of powder.
The mill in Andover was completed and in operation by March, 1776, a full three months before the one at Stoughton was finished. It was located on the Shawsheen River near present day Stevens and North Main streets. When it first opened the mill ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even British prisoners of war were employed, many of whom, according to Phillips, "had married, had children, taken the oath of allegiance, and paid taxes."
The difficulties of procuring materials proved great and the supply of saltpeter was insufficient. At times they would have to pull up floors of sheds and buildings to obtain earth from which to extract the substance. In July of that year the State Legislature discovered that some of the gunpowder made at both the Andover and Stoughton mills was defective. They stated that all faulty powder should be sent back to the mills and the government would then supply good powder to the militia.
The Andover mill itself had other problems. In June 1778, an explosion killed three employees. Public outcry forced the temporary suspension of operations.
Discouraged, Phillips turned his attention to the manufacture of paper, but continued with gunpowder as well. Phillips produced gunpowder until 1797 when a fire and second explosion, resulting in another two deaths, caused the powder mill to close permanently. The paper operation remained prosperous for the Phillips family until 1821.
