Mill Record East Hampton

RETURN TO ‘FIND MILLS’

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)
Bevin Bells Co.
Complex Name (Historic)
  • Franco American Thread Co.
Address or Location
17 Watrous Street, East Hampton
County
Middlesex
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
n/a
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • Franco American Thread Co. ca. 1914-1938
  • Gong Manufacturing Co. ca. 1938-1964
  • Bevin Bells 2012-present

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

1-9 (1936)

Historic Narrative

The Franco-American Thread Company was organized in 1913 for the production of linen thread. The firm built its small, one-and-a-half-story brick factory on the east side of Watrous Street ca. 1914, and by 1922 boasted $100,000 in capital. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s the company was managed by Charles Bruggerman, who oversaw the diversification of the firm’s catalog to include shoe and harness thread. By 1936, State industrial records indicated that the company employed between one and nine hands. The Franco-American Thread Company continued to operate until 1938, whereupon all stock and machinery was sold at auction. Among the goods listed on a May 17th auction notice were 20,000 pounds of linen shoe thread, 2,600 pounds of cotton thread, 1,800 of linen sewing thread, various spools and tubes, and assorted machinery including twisters, winders, skein breakers. After the property was vacated it was eventually occupied by the Gong Bell Manufacturing Company, a bell, toy, and novelty company located on Walnut Avenue, which used the building as a woodshop. This use continued until 1964 when the Gong Bell Manufacturing Company went out of business. Since the 1960s, the plant has been occupied by a variety of light manufacturing firms, most recently including the Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Company, which lost its plant to a devastating fire in 2012.

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

Three (3) blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1914, ca. 1940, ca. 1980

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

Architectural Description

The former Franco-American Thread Company plant is comprised of an adjoining complex of three blocks located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Watrous Street and Railroad Avenue. The factory’s original block was erected ca. 1914 and consists of a one-and-a-half-story red brick manufacturing building with ashlar brownstone foundation, brownstone sills, segmental-arched window openings, and a widely overhanging, low-pitch, front-gabled roof. The building measures 68’ x 126’ and is seven bays wide and 15 bays deep. The primary entry consists of a segmental-arched door opening centered on the north elevation, this facing Railroad Avenue. It consists of a pair of paneled wood doors, however, the original staircase has been removed. The building’s west (side) elevation abuts Watrous Street and has one door and six window openings on its basement level. A modern concrete loading dock with flat steel roof is located on its south elevation. All of the building’s windows have been boarded up. Two additions were constructed on the east side of the building after it was vacated by the Franco-American Thread Company. These includes a one-story frame block with irregular footprint built on the northeast side of the original building ca. 1940, and a one-story concrete and steel block built ca. 1980. The former measures roughly 60’ x 92’ overall and has a concrete foundation, aluminum siding, and a flat roof with exposed rafter tails. The latter measures roughly 70’ x 96’ and has concrete half-walls, vertical metal siding, and a low-pitch front-gabled roof with corrugated metal sheathing. The ca. 1940 block has a mix of irregularly located door and window openings, while the only openings present in the exterior walls of the ca. 1980 block are roll-up garage-style doors on the west and east (front and rear) elevations.

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

Roof Form

Roof Material

Power Source

Condition

Good

Condition Notes

The buildings are in generally good condition, although the original block’s window openings have been boarded up.

Property Information

Specific Location

One legal parcel (17 Watrous Street) totaling 0.84 acres at the southeast corner of the intersection of Watrous Street and Railroad Avenue.

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

Acreage

0.84

Use (Present)

Sources

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

12/9/2014

Bibliography

  1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
  2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
  3. Atlas of Middlesex County, F.W. Beers & Co., 1874.
  4. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
  5. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
  6. Sanborn Map Company, 1903, 1908, 1914, 1925, 1936.
  7. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
  8. The Hartford Courant, 1938, 1964, 1965.
  9. America’s Textile Reporter, 1922.
Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file



Photographer

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Photography Date

12/9/2014