Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Falls Co.

Use (Historic)

• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

Located in the Yantic Falls Historic District (1972): http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/GetAsset?assetID=ebeaa5a8-964d-4bc8-82c8-d93d7eb271bb Converted to residential in 1981 In 1840 Samuel Greene of Boston bought the furthest downstream water privilege on the Yantic River and established the Falls Co. to make cotton cloth. Around 1855 Falls Co. built a brick-pier spinning mill. A smaller spinning mill, a dye house and a carding mill were also built in the mid-1850s, and in 1860 Falls Co. employed 375 women and 125 men producing cheviots, ticking and sheetings. (Roth)

Number of Existing Buildings

n/a

Dates of Construction

c.1840, c.1855, 1880

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The only standing structure that may date from 1840 is the 2-story, 152' x 38' mill with gable roof and random-coursed granite walls. In the 1880s, when larger mills had been built, this was used as the picker house. Around 1855 Falls Co. built a brick-pier spinning mill, 275' x 60' with segmental-arch lintels and stone sills. It was 2 1/2-story with gable roof until the 1890s, when the attic was raised to a full story and the roof flattened to a near-flat double pitch. A smaller spinning mill, a dye house and a carding mill were also built in the mid-1850s. Around 1880 a 3-story, 180' x 80' brick extension, with pyramidal-roof corner stair tower, was added to the large spinning mill; the top floor of this extension has been removed. Also built c.1880 was the brick-pier dyehouse, with three sections meeting at oblique angles; the sections are 60' wide with clear lengths of 100', 80' and 65'. The dyehouse has a near-flat roof with monitors, as does the attached 1-story, 60' x 40' bleach house. The water power system included two stone dams and elaborate system of above- and below-ground races that fed water to five turbines located in three buildings. Both dams survive but recent construction has destroyed the races. At the north abutment of the upper dam stands an early 20th-century powerhouse that was used to generate electricity; refitting is presently underway to generate here again for the city of Norwich. In the engine house at the mills is a c.1895 cross-compound steam engine built by C. H. Brown and Co. of Fitchburg, MA. Its surface appearance is being restored and the engine will be retained as an exhibit when the mills assume their imminent usage as a housing complex. Along Yantic St. north of the mills stand seven c.1855 brick millworker dwellings, each 2 1/2-story with double-entry. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Stone

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

• Gable
• Monitor

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Hydro-Electric
• Water (Turbine)

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

two parcels on the south side of Yantic Street on north bank of Yantic River off Sherman Street

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 92/2/3 / Link →
• 92/ 2/ 2 (granite mill) / Link →

Acreage

1.23; 1.2

Use (Present)

• Residential

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).