Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Allied Kid Co. c.1965-1969
• Flanagan Brothers Inc. c.1969-c.2014
• Herman Roser and Son Inc. c.1939-1965
• Hubbard and Broadhead Tannery 1854-1870s
• Roser Tannery 1886-c.1939

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Transportation
• Other: Tannery

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

Hubbard and Broadhead built this tannery on Hubbard Brook in 1854 to process pig and cow hides. The brook was used for process water and to drive the bark mill. The firm ceased operation in the 1870s and was sold in 1886 to German immigrant Herman Roser. The males in the Roser family had been tanners since 1695; Herman had apprenticed in the family tannery and had worked as a journeyman in Switzerland, France and Belgium before moving to the United States. In Glastonbury Roser limited his product to pig skins and maintained, for a time, the craft tradition of European tanning. He personally supervised the work and reserved for himself the key step of trimming the finished hides. Machine-based techniques were gradually adopted; paddlewheels were put in the tanning vats and revolving drums were installed to wash skins. After World War I mechanization proceeded more rapidly, with the addition of larger vats, machines for shaving and splitting the hides and a steam engine to drive them. Among the new customers for Roser pigskin leather in the 1920s were the makers of the Pierce-Arrow automobile, which had the firm's leather covering its seats. The tannery closed in 1968 and the plant was then occupied by a machine shop. (Roth) Flanagan Brothers Inc. specializes in aerospace assemblies, and remains in Glastonbury today.

Number of Existing Buildings

Three (3) primary blocks with modern additions.

Dates of Construction

1854, 1918, 1928

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

Of the three buildings remaining from the mid 1850s, two are frame (1-story and 60' x 31'; 3-story and 50' x 36') and one is brick (2-story and 91' x 25'). The one-story brick engine house, 43' x 38', was built in 1918. Production space more than doubled in 1928 with construction of a 4-story brick factory, 100' x 46' with flat roof. The buildings are mostly intact, although with some structural alterations and synthetic siding on the walls. The 16' -high masonry dam with concrete wing wall continues to stand. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

n/a

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

As of 2016, it appears that several buildings associated with Roser Tannery have been demolished as part of site redevelopment into the Tannery Apartment (http://www.thetanneryglastonbury.com/ourstory.aspx); the 1928 brick factory remains.

Specific Location

One 31.71 acre parcel at the intersection of New London Tpke and Rockhaven Drive.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 11748 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

31.71

Use (Present)

• Other: Redev res 2017 as The Tannery
• Residential

Form Completed By

n/a

Date

n/a

Bibliography

1. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
2. Hubbard, Robert. Images of America: Glastonbury (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2012).
3. Flanagan Industries website.