Pioneer Woolen Mills

Shortly after arriving in San Francisco, Patrick is listed in the San Francisco City Directory as working at the Pioneer Woolen Mills.  On his Homestead papers he lists the mills as his prior place of employment.  From documents located to date, Patrick worked at the mills from at least 1867 (probably at least a year earlier) to 1880 when he started his homesteading.

Source: San Francisco City Directory, 1877

The first woolen mill erected in California was the Pioneer Woolen Mills, of this city, which commenced to manufacture the common grades of blankets and plain flannels in 1858, the wool then raised in the State being of quite inferior quality, and not suitable for making better classes of goods.  These mills were located at Black Point, and were destroyed by fire in 1861.  They were soon afterwards rebuilt in a more substantial manner, and now employ a capital of $300,000.  The original mills were erected by the firm of Heynemann, Pick and Co., but after the fire the enterprise was resumed by the same parties in connection with others, as an incorporated company, with the above named capital.  Year by year the manufactures of these mills have increased in variety and fineness until at the present they produce fabrics that [can not read next line] rendered us independent of importations from abroad. The machinery of the Pioneer Woolen Mills requires a 150 horse-power engine, which drives 18 sets cards, 8 mules, 14 jucks, 72 looms, and 6,000 spindles, employing 350 hands.

Source: San Francisco City Directory, 1868.



The Pioneer Woolen Mill, located in Ghirardelli Square, was designed by Swiss-born architect William Sebastian Mooser and is one of San Francisco's oldest buildings. It is on the National Register of Historic Places in San Francisco, #82002249.  The building is located at 900 N. Point Street and was built in 1862. Uniforms for Union soldiers were manufactured here during the Civil War. The existing brick building replaced the original wood frame mill which was built in 1858 but soon destroyed by fire. By 1882, the mills employed 800 people; 300 were Chinese. Sales peaked at $1.15 million. However, the falloff of government sales starting in 1889 doomed the company. In 1893, the grounds were purchased and expanded by the D. Ghirardelli Company.

Sources: Historic Sites and Points of Interest in San Francisco.  http://www.noehill.com/sf/landmarks/nat1982002249.asp. Pioneer Woolen Mills and D. Ghirardelli. http://www.flickr.com/photos/teemu08/9650418032/in/photostream/

A visit to this historic spot would have Patrick's descendents walking in his footsteps!