Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• J. R. Montgomery & Company 1881-1989

Use (Historic)

• Fabricated Metal Products

Largest Documented Workforce

500 c.1920

Historic Narrative

National Register listing 1/2017 J. R. Montgomery and Company was founded in 1871 as a cotton spinning mill, and moved to the Canal Bank site in 1881. The mill produced yarns for sale to weaving mills, and became known for its “novelty fillings,” which twisted together strands of different material to produce unusual texture. The firm also developed a process for creating threads of silver or gold metal. Known as tinsel thread, starting in 1905 it became sought after for telecommunications for its conductivity. Demand for metallic threads after World War I led to the company’s expansion and construction of the reinforced concrete buildings. As the demand for metallic thread grew, the company stopped spinning its core textile threads, buying them from others, and concentrated on drawing its own wire. The metallic thread was used in applications ranging from military trimmings to electric razors, radar to pacemakers, computers to industrial meshes. After World War II, Montgomery produced vacuum metalized plastic film thread for weaving. The machinery used at the factory allowed for the longest continuous wire/thread for the most efficient twisting. By the late 1980s, the firm was no longer competitive in its Windsor Locks location and sold to German investors who moved operations to a new factory in New Hampshire. The northernmost building was used by Fuller Russell Tobacco Co. in the 20th century for sorting and shredding tobacco. To the north of the extant J. R. Montgomery complex was a group of ten buildings dating from c.1864 to 1977. These structures, now gone, were occupied by, among others, E. Horton and Con Co., makers of chucks, and later Crouse-Hinds Co., manufacturers of airport lighting. When they moved out, Montgomery purchased the buildings, which all succumbed to fires and neglect over the years.

Number of Existing Buildings

Four (4) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

c.1893, 1904, 1920, 1939

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Loft
• Mill

Architectural Description

The complex is comprised of three main buildings: the oldest at the northern end is a 5-story brick building dating to c.1893; at the center is a c.1904 5-story brick building; and the southernmost building is reinforced concrete constructed c.1920. A two-story reinforced concrete outbuilding sits along the river side, and a c.1939 single story brick addition is to the rear of the central mill. Windows of the concrete buildings are industrial steel sash. The brick buildings have heavy timber framing, and the center building has round-arched openings and projecting piers. The concrete buildings were designed by Buck and Sheldon of Hartford, and have mushroom (Turner) columns.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Concrete

Structural System(s)

• Structural Concrete
• Turner Mushroom Column
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat

Roof Material

• Asphalt

Power Source

• Steam
• Water (Turbine)
• Water (Wheel)

Condition

Good, Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

1.13 acre parcel roughly bounded by the Connecticut River to the east, Farmington Canal and Conrail tracks to the west, Bridge St. to the south and E. end of Grove St to the north.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)
• Main Roads
• Railroad

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 29/19/1 / Link →

Acreage

1.13

Use (Present)

• Other: Residential redev by Beacon Communities Development completed 2020
• Residential

Form Completed By

Renée Tribert

Date

September 2016

Bibliography

1. National Register nomination form.
2. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).