Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Lees Mfg. Co. c.1844-c.1950s
• Richmond Mill 1814-c.1842

Use (Historic)

• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

The Saugatuck River was dammed in this location as early as 1814 by Lewis Raymond and David Richmond, partners in a cotton yarn manufactory. The factory and worker and owner housing became known as Richmondville. The dam failed in 1842, and the mill was idle until 1844 when John Lees and John Dryden rebuilt it and started Lees Manufacturing Co. The two men had been partners in a cotton textile manufacturing business in Massachusetts before moving to Westport. They brought that experience to the Westport location, and began producing cotton batting, twine and carpet warp for the New York market. Other cotton products added over time included wicks for candles, lamps, chandlers and miners, as well as 'Sea Island and Floss cable cords' and banding. In the mid-19th century, the business relied upon cotton from the southern states, and was thus affected by the Civil War, however it thrived in later years. In 1933, the firm bought the faltering New York Net and Twine Company in East Haddam. Lees Manufacturing Co. was managed by successive generations of the Lees family until the 1950s.

Number of Existing Buildings

Eleven (11) blocks.

Dates of Construction

c.1815, c.1915, c.1920, c.1935, c.1950

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Loft
• Mill
• Powerhouse

Architectural Description

The complex is comprised of approximately eleven adjoining blocks along the west side of Richmondville Avenue. The head and tail races ran along the west side of the complex, from the dam on the Saugatuck River about 850 feet to the north (part of the tail race remains to the southwest of the complex). The oldest building is toward the northern end of the complex, perpendicular to Richmondville Avenue: the three story former yarn mill (carding, spinning and twisting), approximately 36’ x 80’, likely dating to c.1815. The lower two floors are coarse random ashlar with stone sills and lintels, topped by a later (possibly c.1890) brick third story with segmentally arched windows and gable roof; center loading bays are on all three levels of the front facade. Adjacent blocks to the north and south date to c.1915: two one-story gable-roof northern blocks, now sheathed in wood, were the dye house and boiler room; the southern three-story brick block approximately 36’ x 80’, with loading bays, stone sills and segmentally arched windows has a saw-tooth roof. The next three-story brick-pier block to the south, approximately 30’ x 90’ with flat roof, rectangular window openings and southwestern stair tower, extends south along Richmondville Avenue and dates to c.1920. Three blocks on the western side of the complex, and the southernmost three-story two-bay brick pier and two-story brick three-by brick pier additions were built between 1931 and 1950. The southwestern most building is an irregularly shaped store house built prior to 1900.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Stone
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable
• Sawtooth

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Water (Turbine)

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is overall in good condition.

Specific Location

One 2.41 acre parcel at the SWC of Richmondville Avenue and Millbank Road

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• C12/ / 046/000 / Link →

Acreage

2.41

Use (Present)

• Other: 2022 rehab to luxury condomiums as The Mill, Westport (https://www.themillwestport.com/); some blocks to be demo'd
• Residential

Form Completed By

Renée Tribert

Date

March 2016

Bibliography

1. Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Boston: Graves & Steinbarger, 1901).
2. The Connecticut Business Directory by George Adams (Boston: 1856).
3. Trow’s Business Directory of the Boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx (NY: Trow Directory, Printing and Bookbinding Co., 1898).
4. The Buyers’ Guide 1905-1906; Thomas’ Register of American Manufacturers and First Hands in all Lines (New York: Thomas Publishing Co., 1905).
5. Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents for the Year 1914 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1915).
6. Lockwood’s Directory of the Paper, Stationery and Allied Trades 46th edition (NY: Lockwood Trade Journal Co., Inc., 1921).
7. 'Richmondville Cotton, TR Lees, Westport, Conn' (New York: Barlow's Insurance Surveys, 1876), courtesy The Chace Catalogue, American Textile History Museum.
8. Sanborn Insurance Atlases.