Mill Record East Granby
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)
- Old Newgate Prison
- Complex Name (Historic)
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- Old Newgate Prison
- Address or Location
- Newgate Road, East Granby
- County
- Hartford
- Historic Designation
- Associated Mill Community
- n/a
- Historic Information
Use (Historic)
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Largest Documented Workforce
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Historic Narrative
For historical significance see National Register application: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/70000839.pdf The Company of Proprietors for Simsbury Copper Mines, chartered in 1706, was the first mining company in Connecticut and one of the earliest in North America. The company mined copper ore until 1745. Then the property was idle until 1773 when the Colony of Connecticut bought it to use as a prison. From 1775 to 1782 prisoners of war, Tories and other political prisoners were held at New Gate Prison. After the War the state confined felons here until a new prison was built in 1827. Brutal conditions and practices haracterized New Gate, with prisoners quartered in the mine shafts at night and shackled to workbenches and forges by day. The most feared and hated prison job was the treadmill, powered by prisoners for 11-minute shifts punctuated by 6-minute breaks, which left them in twitching depletion after a day's duty. After 1827 sporadic attempts to mine the ore (1830-37, 1850-57) met with little success. The site was idle when the state bought it in the 1960s to use as a museum. (Roth)
- Architectural Information
Number of Existing Buildings
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Dates of Construction
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Architect
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Builder
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Building Type
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Architectural Description
For description see National Register application: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/70000839.pdf
The two main shafts used to quarter the prisoners can be seen today, as can the ruins of four c.1802 structures: stone wall around the yard, 16' high, 4'-6' thick; 4-story brick and stone cellblock and treadmill house, 62' x 28' ; 1 l/2-story brick guardhouse, 58' x 30'; 1- and 2-story brick building, 150' x 35', which held the smith and cooper shops. (Roth)Exterior Material(s)
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Structural System(s)
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Roof Form
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Roof Material
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Power Source
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Condition
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Condition Notes
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- Property Information
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Specific Location
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Adjacent To
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Exterior Visible from Public Road?
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Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link
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Acreage
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Use (Present)
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- Sources
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Form Completed By
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Date
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Bibliography
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