New Ipswich’s early industrial life included a variety of businesses, many powered by the Souhegan River. Like many towns of its era, mills were a central part of its economy. Today, the town continues to thrive with a strong construction and manufacturing presence, with several prominent companies tracing their roots to New Ipswich.
Warwick Mills
Warwick Mills remains in production today, with its New Ipswich headquarters recognized as the oldest operating textile mill in New Hampshire. The mill was founded in 1870, and incorporated in 1888, with five locations, including Jaffrey, Greenville, New Ipswich, Warwick, R.I. and Maine. At its incorporation, the mill was weaving denim.
In 1935, the mill began to weave material used in high-altitude helium weather balloons, sponsored by National Geographic and the U.S. Army Air Corps. In 1940, the mill was the first to develop and produce parachute fabric for the U.S. Military during World War II.
Since then, the mill has developed materials used in the inflatable flotation collars for the Apollo 17 mission, created the weave used for concealable presidential body armor and developed TurtleSkin protective material used in puncture-resistant footwear. It also developed material used in the impact airbags for the NASA Pathfinder, Spirit and Opportunity rover missions to Mars.
Warwick Mills is the longest-running of New Ipswich’s historic mills — but many others came before it.
Early Mills
Brown’s Cotton Mill, built around 1803, was one of the earliest cotton mills in the United States. Constructed of granite, its ruins remained on the Souhegan River for many years and were commemorated with a float in the town’s bicentennial parade.
The Old Waterloom Mill, erected in 1821, was a three-story structure that produced sheeting, then jeans and flannel. The Columbian Manufacturing Company purchased the mill in 1855, and it was condemned and dismantled in 1896. The mill’s name reportedly came from its unique use of water power to run its looms.
In 1941, the Balch Mill, a sawmill in Gibson Village, burned to the ground. Owned by Albro L. Balch and previously by his father, the mill was built in 1800 and had operated as a potato starch factory and cotton mill. It had been in the Balch family since 1878.
From mills to construction
Today, New Ipswich’s modern industrial boom is centered around its thriving construction trade, which remains one of the town’s largest employment sectors.
Seppala and Aho Construction, once based in New Ipswich, grew to become the largest building contractor in northern New England and the town’s biggest employer. The business was founded in the early 1950s by Martin Seppala and Hjalmar Aho.
Seppala and Aho were brothers-in-law, having married sisters, and both had large families— Seppala had 17 children and Aho had 14 — many of whom worked for the company. Both families are still well-known names in the construction field, now running separate businesses: Seppala Construction in Rindge and Aho Construction, still based in New Ipswich.
The company helped launch another local manufacturer, Vanguard Manufacturing, which produces scaffolding, staging, van and truck racks and ladders. Seppala started the company, which was later acquired in 1970 by Bernie Kline, founder of Lynn Ladders.
Another offshoot, G&S Construction, was founded by Danny Seppala and Albert Goddard and later became Trace Construction before being sold to Al Traffie. Traffie went on to co-found Hutter Construction with Jim Traffie in 1973.
Today, Hutter Construction Corporation is ranked among the largest construction companies in New Hampshire. Its projects include Merrimack Valley High School and the renovation and reconstruction of the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, among other municipal and private projects.