Wamsutta Mills is a former textile manufacturing company and current brand for bedding and other household products. Founded by Thomas Bennett, Jr. on the banks of the Acushnet River in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1846 and opened in 1848, Wamsutta Mills was named after Wamsutta, the son of a Native American chief who negotiated an early alliance with the English settlers of the Plymouth Colony. It was the first of many textile mills in New Bedford, and gradually led to cotton textile manufacturing overtaking whaling as the town's principal industry by the 1870s. Wamsutta Mills became well known for producing fine quality shirtings, sheetings and other fine cotton products. The Wamsutta name continues to be used as a brand today, marketed by American retailer Bed Bath & Beyond in North America and Brazilian textile conglomerate Springs Global in South America. History Planning and raising funds The Wamsutta Mills were conceived by Thomas Bennett Jr. of nearby Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Bennett originally planned to locate the mill in Georgia, where he had previously worked for fellow Fairhaven native Dwight Perry, in a mill. However, one prominent investor, Congressman Joseph Grinnell stipulated that the mill be located in his home city, New Bedford. On April 8, 1846, the new corporation was granted a charter from the Massachusetts General Court. By mid-1847, Bennett raised $160,000 for the mill, mostly in small investments of ten shares or less from skeptical New Bedford businessmen who were unfamiliar with the textile industry. The first meeting of the stockholders was held in 1847 and Joseph Grinnell was elected president and Thomas Bennett Jr., who had served as the superintendent of the Wamsutta Mills from 1846 until 1874, the secretary. Early development Construction of the first mill began in 1847. Designed by Seth Ingalls of New Bedford, it was a stone structure, long by wide, with five stories. David Whitman of Rhode Island served as an advisor during the construction and setup of the mill, which was initially fitted with 10,000 spindles, with room for 5,000 more. Cloth production began in February 1849, and housing was built for its workers. Soon business began to boom, with capital increasing to $300,000 in 1853. A second four-story mill, long by wide, was built in 1855. A third mill, a duplicate of the second, was built in 1860–1861 outfitted in 1862 and opened in 1865; the delay was due to the Civil