Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• D. & H. Scovil Co. 1880-1942

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

NOTE: TOGETHER WITH THE OTHER SCOVIL SITES THIS WAS FOUND TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR NR LISTING AS INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT IN 2022 BY SHPO. The D. and H. Scovil Company was founded by brothers Daniel and Hezekiah Scovil in 1844. Inspiration for the company came from Daniel Scovil’s extensive travel throughout the southern United States during the early 1840s, at which time he developed a design for a self-sharpening hoe to be marketed to southern plantation owners. Scovil’s ‘Planters’ Hoe’ was fabricated by forge-welding a soft iron overlay onto a steel core. As the tool was used the soft exterior would wear away more quickly, thus exposing the edge’s sharp steel interior. Upon returning to Higganum, Daniel partnered with his brother to produce Planters’ Hoes in their father’s blacksmith shop situated along Candlewood Brook. The success of the Scovil hoe allowed the brothers to build their own blacksmith shop in the vicinity of their father’s in 1849, and then to erect a larger mill and supporting waterpower system in 1859. The former no longer survives, however, portions of the 1859 factory, known as Mill No. 2, still stand west of Brainard Hill Road along Black Shop Pond. The D. and H. Scovil Company continued to thrive and expand throughout the second half of the 19th century. Mill No. 3, consisting of two new factory buildings, a Second Empire-style brick office building, and a rubble-stone dam, was constructed along what is now Scovil Road in 1867, and in 1880, the first of three primary buildings that would eventually comprise Mill No. 4 was erected along Candlewood Brook roughly one-half mile east of Mill No. 3. This was expanded in 1887 by the addition of the older of the two extant structures on the Mill No. 4 site, which originally housed a forge, woodworking, and grinding shops, a machine room, and an engine room. The second of the two extant mills was built ca. 1905 to house an additional forge shop. By 1914, Sanborn maps identify the building as a drop forge shop, perhaps indicative of machinery upgrades at the plant resulting from the company’s shift from welded two-piece models, to stamped single-piece designs after the turn of the century. Although the D. and H. Scovil Company’s productivity allegedly declined following the death of Hezekiah Scovil in 1904, the company maintained a presence in town into the second half of the 20th century. During the 1930s and 1940s, the company consolidated its production at Mill No. 3 after Mills No. 2 and 4 were sold off. Mill No. 4 was purchased by the State of Connecticut in 1942. The State’s Department of Transportation demolished the 1880 block and modified the 1887 and c. 1905 blocks for use as garages in 1945. The State of Connecticut continues to hold the property, currently unoccupied. Note: 2022 SHPO determined site to be eligible as part of an overall D & H Scovil Co industrial district

Number of Existing Buildings

Two (2) freestanding primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1887, c. 1905.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

The former D. and H. Scovil Company’s Mill No. 4 complex is comprised of two red brick mill buildings standing parallel to one another along the south side of Candlewood Hill Road. The buildings are typical of forge and foundry buildings built during the late 19th century and are characterized by their narrow width, comparatively high overall length, limited height, and gable roofs with clerestory monitors. The southernmost of the two buildings was constructed in 1887 and measures roughly 220’ x 40’. The building is one story in height, however, the topography of the site drops towards the east allowing for two usable floors at the eastern end of the mill. The building has an ashlar and square-cut stone foundation, red brick walls, segmental-arched window openings with stone sills, and a plain brick cornice. The windows are a mix of eight-over-eight and twelve-over-twelve double-hung wood sash. Garage-style bays were added on the north and west elevations in 1945. These have steel-framed openings and metal roll-up style doors. The second building was erected ca. 1905 and measures roughly 260’ x 40’. The one-story building is similar in design to its predecessor and has a concrete foundation, red brick walls, segmental-arched window openings with concrete sills, and a plain brick cornice. The windows are a mix of eight-over-eight and twelve-over-twelve double-hung wood sash. Garage-style bays with steel-framed openings and metal roll-up style doors were likewise added on the south and west elevations in 1945.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Gable
• Monitor

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Steam
• Water (Turbine)

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

All portions of the building are in generally fair condition with some deterioration visible along the foundations and in the windows.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (11 Candlewood Hill Road) totaling 4.00 acres on the south side of Candlewood Hill Road, approx. 600 ft west of intersection with Killingworth Road (Rte. 81).

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 15/ 090 / Link →

Acreage

4.0

Use (Present)

• Other: Jan 2022 DECD Brownfield award of $1,800,000 to abate and remediate two former D&H Scoville Hoe Company Mill buildings. The buildings will be adaptively reused as shops, galleries, offices, and/or a full services restaurant to support the revitalization of Higganum’s Village Center. 2022 SHPO determined site to be eligible as part of an overall D & H Scovil Co industrial district
• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

11/5/2014

Bibliography

1. HAER CT Inventory Card, November 1980.
2. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1936, 1939.
3. Atlas of Middlesex County, F.W. Beers & Co., 1874.
4. Sanborn Map Company, 1901-1914.
5. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
6. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).