Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Coventry Glass Company 1813-1845

Use (Historic)

• Other: Glass manufacturing

Largest Documented Workforce

24

Historic Narrative

For historical significance see National Register nomination: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/87000806.pdf From NRHD Significance: Coventry Glass Factory Historic District is significant because of its associations with an enterprise important in the historical development of Coventry (Criterion A). Glass manufacture was one of the earliest and most extensive of a series of small industries, including hat-making, silk-thread and woolen manufacture, and woodworking, which transformed Coventry in the early 19th century from an agricultural community to one dependent on both farming and manufacturing. Although little is visible to mark the site of the factory itself, all the land in the district was owned by the glassworks owners at one time or another and nine of the eleven houses were put up by the owners or the glassblowers who worked for them.

Number of Existing Buildings

1 C, 1 NC

Dates of Construction

19th c., 1935

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration

Architectural Description

For description see National Register nomination: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/87000806.pdf

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Gable

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

n/a

Condition

Good

Condition Notes

The glass factory is no longer extant. The house at 290 North River Road is among the contributing resources of the district and is owned by the Museum of Connecticut Glass. The barn at 289 North River Road is non-contributing in relation to the glass industry but has an HRI in Historic Barns of Connecticut for its agricultural history in the 20th c. and is owned by the Museum of Connecticut Glass.

Specific Location

Two parcels at the SW and SE corners of North River Road and Boston Turnpike (US Route 44) belong to the Museum of Connecticut Glass. The historical glass factory (1813-C.1845) was located west of 1084 Boston Turnpike.
Listed on the National Register as the Coventry Glass Factory Historic District.

Adjacent To

• Main Roads

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 011-0031-0007 / Link →
• 011-0024-00011 / Link →

Acreage

2.47 and 1.62 acres

Use (Present)

n/a

Form Completed By

C. Hitchcock

Date

n/a

Bibliography

1. Clouette, Bruce and Matthew Roth, Robert Griffith. 1987. Coventry Glass Factory Historic District National Register Nomination No. 87000806. National Park Service.
2. Historic Barns of Connecticut record for the barn at 289 North River Road.