Mill Record Chester
RETURN TO ‘FIND MILLS’Disclaimer: Content for these properties was compiled in 2014-2017 from a variety of sources and is subject to change. Updates are occasionally made under Property Information, however the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation (dba Preservation Connecticut) makes no representation or warranty that the information is complete or up-to-date.
- Complex Name (Common)
- C.L. Griswold and Co.
- Complex Name (Historic)
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- C.L. Griswold and Co.
- Chester Historical Society
- Address or Location
- 9 West Main Street, Chester Center, Chester
- County
- Middlesex
- Historic Designation
- Associated Mill Community
- n/a
What can you do at this mill?
- Historic Information
Companies Associated w/Complex
- C.L. Griswold and Co.
- C.L. Griswold and Co.
Use (Historic)
Largest Documented Workforce
n/a
Historic Narrative
This Pattaconk Brook (South Branch) water privilege was first developed for manufacturing in 1825 by Abel Snow, who ran an anchor forge and sold primarily to shipbuilders in Chester Cove. Noah Shipman, a carriage spring manufacturer, bought the property in 1838 and sold it to Jeremiah Wilcox, another carriage-spring maker, in the early l840s. In 1850 C. L. Griswold bought the site and erected the building standing now. Griswold's rubble-masonry wing dam also survives. The shop produced auger bits, wood screws, corkscrews, reamers and other light hardware before closing in 1919. Solar Masonic Lodge No. 131 bought the mill in 1924. (Roth) The main mill building has been rehabilitated as the museum and offices of the Chester Historical Society.
- Architectural Information
Number of Existing Buildings
One (1) block.
Dates of Construction
1850
Architect
n/a
Builder
n/a
Building Type
Architectural Description
The 1850 building is a 2 1/2-story gable-roofed wood-framed mill with stone foundation and wheelpit sited parallel to the river bank. A hip-roofed cupola on the ridge-line has louvered openings on all four sides. The steeply-pitched roof has deep overhangs; siding is wood clapboard.
Exterior Material(s)
Structural System(s)
Roof Form
Roof Material
n/a
Power Source
Condition
n/a
Condition Notes
n/a
- Property Information
- Sources
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Form Completed By
n/a
Date
n/a
Bibliography
- Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
- Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file
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Photographer
n/a
Photography Date
n/a
