Mill Record Putnam

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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)
Cargill Falls Mill
Complex Name (Historic)
  • Cargill Falls Mill
Address or Location
52 & 58 Pomfret Street, Putnam
County
Windham
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
What can you do at this mill?
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • Harris Woolen Co. 1864-1875
  • Pomfret Manufacturing Co. 1806-1835
  • Pomfret Woolen Co. 1875-
  • Saxon Woolen Co. 1869-1875
  • Wilkinson Mill 1835

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

see National Reigster nomination at http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/14000435.pdf The Wilkinson family of Pawtucket, RI and the Rhodes family of Warwick, RI formed the Pomfret Manufacturing Co. in 1806. On July 4, 1807 the firm raised the timber frame for the first cotton mill in Connecticut on this site, immediately south of present-day Rte. 44 on the west bank of the Quinebaug River. Smith Wilkinson was agent in charge and in the mid-1820s he and James Rhodes became the sole owners. In 1850 the early stone mills contained 4,260 spindles and 105 looms worked by 60 males and 45 females. E. P. Mason bought the complex in the l860s to house the cassimere production of his firm, Saxon Woolen Co. Today a synthetic textile producer operates here. There are some 15 millworkers' dwellings north and east of the mills along High St. and Rte. 44. (Roth)

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

n/a

Dates of Construction

1824, c.1845, 1856, 1869, 1870, c.1880, c.1890, 1924-1950

Architect

n/a

Builder

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Building Type

n/a

Architectural Description

see National Register nomination at http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/14000435.pdf The earliest standing mill here was built in 1824. Three stories and about 90' x 30', it has coursed ashlar walls; the original clerestory roof and end stair tower have been removed. In the mid-1840s another stone mill was erected: 3-story, about 100' x 40' with rubble walls and central stair tower. The original gable roof has been flattened and the cupola removed. A 3-story brick mill went up in 1856; about 85' x 40' with an ell 55' x 40', it features segmental arch lintels, stone sills and rubble foundations. In 1869 Saxon added the hip-roofed office building and 3-story mansard-roofed brick mill (about 200' x 45'). (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

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Roof Form

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

mixed use rehab in the works 2015

Property Information

Specific Location

At intersection with Church St

Adjacent To

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

Acreage

6

Use (Present)

  • Other: Redeveloped to 82 residential units, Lofts at Cargill Falls Mill, open 2020.
  • Residential
Sources

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).
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Photographer

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Photography Date

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