Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Chelsea Mfg. Co. 1835-c.1890
• Norwich Bleaching and Calendering Co. c.1890

Use (Historic)

• Paper & Wood Products
• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

Norwich Water Power Co. was incorporated in 1828 and empowered to build a dam and canal that would bring the water of the Shetucket River to industrial use... Parcels on the island between canal and river were sold or leased for mills... Chelsea Manufacturing Co., a paper producer was established here in 1835. Chelsea ran until c.1890, when its works were purchased by Norwich Bleaching and Calendering Co. (NBandC), a textile-finishing firm which had built its own mills on the canal in 1840. (Roth)

Number of Existing Buildings

n/a

Dates of Construction

c.1860, 1880s

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

n/a

Architectural Description

With its stone foundation also serving as the canal's east wall, the c.1860, 3-story, brick main mill runs 375' along the canal and is 78' wide, Its roof is near-flat and windows are set in openings with segmental-arch lintels and stone sills. In the 1880s a mill with almost precisely the same specifications was built parallel to the c.1860 mill, along the bank of the river. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

n/a

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

between Shetucket River to east and canal to west opposite Fifth Street

Located in Greeneville Historic District (2005).
http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/GetAsset?assetID=ae0eecec-2121-4766-ab14-23fc894a25b3

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 95/ 1/ 1 / Link →

Acreage

6.05

Use (Present)

• Other: 6/2024 DECD $4m brownfield award for abatement, demolition, RAP for redev as riverfront park
• Vacant

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).