Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Driscoll Wire Co. ca. 1906-ca. 1960
• Wilkinson Brothers Paper Mill ca. 1878-ca. 1917

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products
• Paper & Wood Products

Largest Documented Workforce

50-100 (1927)

Historic Narrative

The first manufactory on this site was the Wilkinson Brothers Paper Mill, which was established by William Wilkinson, an English immigrant, during the early 1860s. Originally founded in New York City, Wilkinson’s first plant in Shelton consisted of a wooden structure erected at the northern end of the Ousatonic Water Company’s recently completed canal in 1871. Wilkinson’s wooden plant was destroyed by fire in 1878 and slowly replaced by the sprawling brick complex visible between the canal and the Housatonic River today. Locally known as the 'Derby Mills,' the Wilkinson Brothers Paper Mill produced manila paper and packing twine, and by the mid-1880s was credited with over $5 million of annual income. In 1906, a two-story building at the southern end of the plant was acquired by the Star Pin Company, which operated a large plant just to the south, and around the same time another portion of the factory housed the recently established Driscoll Wire Company, which supplied wire to local pin and hair pin factories. Just over ten years later, in 1917, Wilkinson Brothers ceased production and the southern half of the mill was purchased by Driscoll Wire, while the northern part was occupied by the Naugatuck Valley Crucible Company. The Driscoll Wire Company was incorporated by William F. Driscoll in 1917 with $30,000 in capital. Within two years the company changed hands and came under the control of Philip E. French, manager; and J. Howard Marlin, president. A Hartford Courant article from 1930 notes that within the first ten years of the company’s existence its total output increased 1000 percent. By that time its primary product was a 'round, low carbon wire of various analyses, finishes and tempers' used in the manufacture of rivets, screws, pins, hair pins, and buckles. The company remained in operation into the second half of the 20th century and by 1951 its workforce numbered 60 employees turning out lines of cold drawn steel wire and bars, as well as completing commercial heat treating.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly eight (8) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1878 - ca. 1898

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Driscoll Wire Company plant is comprised of an adjoining complex of approximately eight identifiable red brick blocks with a total frontage of roughly 180 feet on the east side of Canal Street. Originally built as part of a large complex by the Wilkinson Brothers Paper Mill between ca. 1878 and ca. 1898, the southern half of the plant was acquired by the Driscoll Wire Company in 1917. The blocks comprising the Driscoll Wire Company factory range between one and two stories in height and have a mix of pitched and flat roofs. The exterior walls are painted and they rise to a denticulated brick cornice. The majority of the door and window openings throughout the complex have segmental-arched openings, while they have either brick or brownstone sills. Many of the plant’s irregularly-spaced door and window openings have been boarded up, however, a number of the original windows remain intact. These primarily consist of four-over-four or twelve-over-twelve double-hung wood sash. A three-story tall rectangular brick chimney is located near the western (front) elevation. A particularly notable section of the Driscoll Wire Company plant is the former office building, which consists of a small rectangular block at the complex’s southwest corner. This measures roughly 24 feet wide and 20 feet deep and has a front-facing pitched roof with cornice returns. An eight-foot shed roof addition runs the full depth of the south (side) elevation and contains the building’s primary entry. Segmental-arched window openings dominate the façade (west elevation). These retain their original sash yet have been covered with wire security screens. Leo F. Caproni may have designed an addition prior to 1942 for this complex (Leo F. Caproni, "Industrial Buildings" 1942 booklet).

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Water (Turbine)

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

All portions of the building are in generally fair condition, however deterioration is present in many locations throughout the complex. This is particularly true of many of the windows, cornices, and roofs.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (listed in the Shelton Assessor’s Records as 281 Canal Street) totaling 1.1 acres on the east side of Canal Street.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)
• Business District
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 139.-4 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

1.1

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/27/2014

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule Co., 1868.
3. Derby and Shelton Bird’s Eye View, 1898.
4. Shelton Bird’s Eye View, 1919.
5. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
6. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
7. Sanborn Map Company, 1924, 1949.
8. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
9. Tercentenary Pictorial and History of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Malloy, Leo T., 1935.
10. The Hartford Courant, 1930.
11. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
12. Information, historic photographs and sources for Leo Caproni courtesy Gregg Bateman (2018).