Remembering the man Who
transFormed Salem
1839 while he was still working for Salem Manufacturing Company. By 1840, he left his position to start up his own woolen mill. A small production, it ran on steam power. Francis enlisted the labor of some of his father’s slaves to increase productivity. He acted as owner, superintendent, and foreman, and he never let any of the employees work harder than himself. His son recalls him saying that, “no work was too hard or too menial.”
Nearly half of his workers were enslaved Negroes, though they were paid a wage and were given equal access to a sick nurse – no employees ever worked on Sundays. On many an occassion he treated his employees much like family, sometimes giving days off and working in the factory alone or treating them to much needed recreation.
Fair treatment of his workers combined with his own tireless effort and determination led to his great success as a mill owner and by 1842, he mechanized the mill. A few years later he partnered with his brother Henry and renamed his firm the F & H Fries Manufacturing Company.