Lewiston Mills and Water Power System Historic District, Industrial heritage district in Lewiston, United States

Lewiston Mills and Water Power System Historic District encompasses large textile mill complexes and water power systems built along the Androscoggin River. The area features red brick manufacturing buildings connected by an intricate network of canals that powered mills including Bates, Lewiston, and Continental.

The Lewiston Water Power Company was founded around 1850 by Boston investors to use the falls of the Androscoggin River. It built power canals and cotton spinning and weaving mills, and the complex grew despite the Civil War by stockpiling raw cotton. Rail service arrived in 1849, and the Grand Trunk Station on the canal island brought many French Canadian workers. The district was listed on the National Register in 2015.

The Grand Trunk Station, built on the island formed by the canals, brought in many French Canadian workers for the mills and became known locally as an Ellis Island. Mill owners also built worker housing and community halls near the mills, and the district still contains that housing and transportation infrastructure alongside the canals.

The district stretches from the great falls to Gully Brook with multiple mill buildings accessible on foot throughout the area. Wear sturdy shoes as walkways along the canals and between buildings can be uneven in places.

The Grand Trunk Station stood on the island formed by the canals and became known as a local Ellis Island, the arrival point for many French Canadian mill workers. The district also holds one of the world's largest bleacheries, built to serve several mill complexes at once.