Mill Record Salisbury
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)
- Holley and Company Cutlery Factory
- Complex Name (Historic)
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- Holley and Company Cutlery Factory
- Address or Location
- 7 Holley Street, Salisbury
- County
- Litchfield
- Historic Designation
- Associated Mill Community
- n/a
What can you do at this mill?
- Historic Information
Companies Associated w/Complex
- Holley and Company
- Holley Manufacturing Co.
- Lakeville Holley Pocket Cutlery
Use (Historic)
Largest Documented Workforce
n/a
Historic Narrative
This millseat at the outlet of Wononscopomuc Lake was the site of Connecticut's first blast furnace, built in 1762. The furnace was demolished in the 1830s and Alexander H. Holley built a pocket knife factory (not extant) on the site in 1844. Holley expanded in 1866 with construction of the surviving 4-story brick mill. Manufacturing here consisted of forging and grinding the steel blades, moldings and other components; cutting and finishing the handles from bone, wood or ivory; and assembling the knives. Holley Manufacturing Co. built a 2-story brick annex, in 1887, by which time the firm employed 40 workers who produced more than 100,000 pocket knives annually. Holley Manufacturing Co. went out of business in the 1930s and a newspaper now occupies the buildings. (Roth)
- Architectural Information
Number of Existing Buildings
n/a
Dates of Construction
1866, 1887
Architect
n/a
Builder
n/a
Building Type
n/a
Architectural Description
The surviving 4-story brick mill. about 100' x 35' with clerestory monitor roof dates to 1866. Foundations are stone, and iron tie-rods and wall anchors bind the floors into end and side walls. Holley Manufacturing Co. built a 2-story brick annex, about 65' x 25' with gable roof, in 1887. The company installed a turbine-based power system c.1905, using the 15' head at the masonry darn to run an S. Morgan Smith horizontal turbine which drove a Western Electric direct-current generator; all this equipment survives in the wheelpit. (Roth)
Exterior Material(s)
Structural System(s)
n/a
Roof Form
Roof Material
n/a
Power Source
n/a
Condition
n/a
Condition Notes
n/a
- Property Information
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Specific Location
east side of Holley Street between rte 44 and Ethan Allen Street
Adjacent To
n/a
Exterior Visible from Public Road?
Yes
Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link
n/a
Acreage
n/a
Use (Present)
n/a
- Sources
-
Form Completed By
n/a
Date
n/a
Bibliography
- Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
- Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file
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Photographer
n/a
Photography Date
n/a
