Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Fabric Fire Hose Co. 1901
• Goodyear Rubber Packing Co. c.1850-1856
• New York Belgin and Packing Co. 1856-1900

Use (Historic)

• Rubber & Chemicals

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

For historical significance see National Register application: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/82004367.pdf Josiah Tomlinson started the Goodyear Rubber Packing Co. around 1850. The firm was bankrupt by 1856 when the plant was sold to New York Belting and Packing Co., which built the extant brick factory. New York Belting and Packing Co. made laminates of vulcanized rubber and cotton duck into fire hoses, transmission belts and packing for steam joints. Rubber was processed from its raw state, while the duck was purchased. The firm built much equipment specifically designed for use here: high-speed saws to cut raw rubber; calendars to roll-out bulk rubber into strips and to laminate rubber and cloth; long, narrow steam-heated ovens to vulcanize lengths of belt and hose. U. S. Rubber bought New York Belting and Packing in 1900 and moved it to Passaic, NJ. In 1901 U. S. Rubber moved another subsidiary, Fabric Fire Hose Co., to the Sandy Hook plant. Though idle and bereft of equipment the plant is in good condition, particularly the water power system, which has been altered greatly since the 1850s. (Roth)

Number of Existing Buildings

One (1) primary block.

Dates of Construction

1856

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

For description see National Register application: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/82004367.pdf The extant brick factory, 4-story and 200' x 64' with an ell 80' x 34', dates to 1856. The shallow-pitched gable roof is supported by Howe trusses and the brick walls, leaving the fourth floor unobstructed by posts. The fourth floor is borne by timber posts on the story below, and cast-iron columns hold the second and third floors. The masonry buttress dam and open headrace, both of which were built by New York Belting and Packing, show no leaks. Fabric Fire Hose converted the system to generate electricity. The single-runner S. Morgan Smith turbine and Crocker-Wheeler alternator remain in good order. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Post and Beam

Roof Form

• Gable

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Water (Turbine)

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

west side of Glen Road opposite Pine Street.

Individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1982.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 42-13-1 / Link →

Acreage

13.22

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Mixed-Use
• Other: For sale 1/2023 (had been for sale at auction 10/2022 w/ 27 Glen)

Form Completed By

n/a

Date

n/a

Bibliography

1. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
2. Ransom, David F. 1982. National Register Nomination No. 82004367. National Park Service.
3. HAER (Historic American Engineering Record).