Back twenty years to... Monday, October 23rd, 2006. Day 198.  Living life in miniature in this so tiny State. Brightly-coloured, and personified fire hydrants in East Greenwich, and stepping back – and forward – in time, for the intriguing case of the once derelict 'Anthony Mill'.

"With the benefit of hindsight – here's what I've learned: In 2012, the building was renovated into one hundred and twenty-two 'luxury lofts', and was reborn as, "The Lofts at Anthony Mill" apartments. So goes the promotional blurb:

"Situated on the banks of the Pawtuxet River, the Lofts at Anthony Mill is a gorgeous loft apartment community conveniently located on the RIPTA Bus Line, with access to the future expansion of the Coventry-Greenway Bike Trail. All our one or two bedroom apartments are pet-friendly and tastefully appointed, with sleek, modern kitchens, in-unit washer/dryer, exposed brick and beams, elegant wood flooring, and big, beautiful windows that let the sun shine in. Elevator access, central air-conditioning, and amenities such as a fully equipped fitness center, indoor basketball court, state-of-the-art theatre room, game room and rooftop deck – all make this community a perfect blend of style, comfort and convenience."

And so there we have it. 'Repurposing - 101' – and at its profit-driven best. The industrial demise is done-away with, and all complete. But the commercial gain is absolutely outstanding. And so, here at Anthony Mill, at least – it's not all 'doom-and-gloom' in Small town America. But with rental tariffs of most probably between fifteen hundred and two thousand dollars-plus, per month – in Rhode Island, with an average per-capita income of around thirty-two thousand dollars in 2019, and working on median figures – with Americans paying up to thirty-five percent of it on housing rent, maybe for 'your average Joe' – they ain’t really so 'affordable'.

Now – back to a time, only just a few decades ago – when the mill, and the smaller businesses around it were flourishing. To allow it to fail, and fall into disrepair, leaving the local economy struggling – it’s just not the kind of 'Social History' that America wants to remember – far less advertise. So why the demise. A fluke? A technological revolution. It’s actually the unassailable fact that cotton can be cultivated and spun, such a great deal cheaper in China. Or even India. And so, on one level or another, it has to be something of an acute domestic embarrassment."

In Search of Small-Town America: Volume 1 is a free-of-charge Pdf digital download – available from our shop. A table of contents, the introduction, the route-map – and featuring content on the first two States travelled: New Mexico and Arizona.

Jeremy Hammond I am a British writer and photographer, and have travelled through India, China, Southeast Asia and Australia, but most extensively in North America. In the late seventies and early eighties, I worked as lighting crew, and later designer, for many top-named British bands, on tours through Europe, Japan, and the USA. I’ve worked as a cruise-ship photographer, in office and store design, database design, visual arts book publishing and as a London-based freelance photographer, specialising in interiors and architecture.