Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Heminway and Bartlett Silk Co. 1888-c.2000

Use (Historic)

• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

300 (1930)

Historic Narrative

Buell Heminway (1838-1915) learned the silk thread business under his father, General Merritt Heminway (1800-1886), who had established the company that would become M. Heminway and Sons Silk Company (later the Belding-Heminway Co.) in Watertown in 1822. Buell organized the Heminway-Bartlett Silk Company with his own son and H. H. Bartlett in 1888 after his father’s death, building just down the block from the M. Heminway facility. While the company never grew as large as M. Heminway and Sons, it experienced relative prosperity. The firm, which produced spool, embroidery, knitting and crochet silks, established trade relationships with emerging chain department stores, and extended large retailers goods on credit. It was a risk that paid off, as the company’s business came to rely heavily upon those retailers. By 1912, the product line was expanded to include silk hosiery. The company was quick to adopt the use of rayon and other synthetic fibers in their products as early as the 1920s, keeping them relevant in the market. In 1930, over 300 workers worked at the Watertown facility. Buell’s enterprise outlived his father’s by decades, and in 1963 the firm purchased the Starr Net Company, a manufacturer of fishing nets in East Hampton. It closed only in the early 2000s.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly (8) eight blocks.

Dates of Construction

1888-1940

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Loft
• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The buildings of the Heminway and Bartlett complex were built between 1888 and 1940. The oldest blocks are the two-story brick office building to the west, and the L-shaped two-story wood loft building with gable roof to the east. Additions were built after 1927. This factory was originally steam powered.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Post and Beam

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Steam

Condition

Good, Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

One 1.63 acre parcel on the SWC Echo Lake Road and Silk Street

Adjacent To

• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 110 / 77 / 1 / Link →

Acreage

1.63

Use (Present)

• Commercial

Form Completed By

Mike Forino

Date

August 2014

Bibliography

1. 1947 Industrial Directory of Connecticut.
2. The Hartford Courant, 1930-1963.
3. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1927.