What is a spinning mill?

A spinning mill is a factory in which cotton or other fibers are machine-spun to produce thread for weaving or sewing. Factories that combine both spinning and weaving are generally referred to as cotton mills because the primary fiber used is cotton.

Spinning mills first became prominent at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Their rise marked a move from small cottage industries, where workers spun fibers at home for delivery to a broker, to large factory industries. Early spinning mills were powered by a steam generator that ran the spindles, while today's mills are powered by electric generators and are increasingly automated.