Along with the Bay State and the Pacific mills, the Atlantic Cotton Mills in Lawrence were one of the first to be built along the river during the construction of the dam and the north canal.
According to the Lawrence Gazetteer, "this extensive and flourishing corporation was organized Feb. 3, 1846, with an authorized capital of $1,500,000. The mill was constructed in three divisions, ground having been broken for No. 1 mill, June 9, 1846, in which the wheels were started up for the first time, May 10, 1849, and the first cloth woven the same month. No. 2 mill was started up Sept. 4, 1849. and ground broken for the No. 3, or central mill, Feb. 15, 1850. The machinery for the latter building was made at the Lawrence Machine Shop. The first cotton for any of the Lawrence mills was received Jan. 12, 1849, by the Atlantic corporation and the first cloth woven the following May. Abbott Lawrence was the first president and all the buildings, water-ways and wheel-pits were constructed by the Essex Company."
The Atlantic mills suffered through several ups and downs in its history, initially surviving the toubles of the late 1850s that saw the failure of the Bay State Mills, probably in no doubt from demand created by the Civil War. It was modified several times with the addition of buildings but on March 31, 1913, the corporation was bought at auction by the Pacific Mills. Much of the property would be taken the next year by eminant domain for construction of the Central bridge (1914-1918).
Today only one building remains and most of the land is part of Pemberton Park.
Note: dates are approximated