Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Miller Brothers Cutlery Co. c.1875-c.1918
• Pratt Ivory c.1830s
• Pratt Read Co. 1863-c.1875
• Tredennick Paint Mfg. Co. c.1950

Use (Historic)

• Apparel & Accessories
• Consumer Products, Small Appliances
• Fabricated Metal Products
• Rubber & Chemicals

Largest Documented Workforce

300 (

Historic Narrative

Julius Pratt established an ivory-comb works here in the 1830s. He belonged to the Pratt family of Deep River which controlled a large portion of that town's extensive ivory industry. The Meriden shop joined Pratt, Read and Co. in 1863 during the merger which created that firm. Pratt, Read and Co. employed 50 men and 15 women here in 1870, several years before Miller Brothers, a cutlery producer, bought the works. Tenants now occupy the complex. (Roth) The site may have been developed for manufacturing as early as 1822 by Howard Pratt and Co., followed by Pratt Read and Co. Brothers George W. and William H. Miller began a pocket cutlery business in 1868. It was reorganized as Miller Brothers Cutlery Co. in 1878, which may coincide with its move to this location, and specialized in pocket knives. William F. Rockwell, one of the founders, was instrumental in obtaining legislative tariff protection to enable the industry to compete against imported English and German pocket knives. The firm began making steel pen nibs in 1882, having bought the equipment from Harrison and Bradford of Mount Vernon, New York, adding steel ink erasers to the product line by 1905.

Number of Existing Buildings

Seven (7) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

c.1850, c.1910

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

n/a

Architectural Description

Fire destroyed Pratt's original plant in 1846, and the only extant structure that may date to the subsequent rebuilding is a 3 1/2-story gable-roofed brick mill, about 80' x 35' with stone sills and lintels. A slightly later and slightly larger 3 1/2-story gable-roofed brick mill features segmental arch lintels and stone sills. Miller Brothers built the rest of the structures: two forge shops, both high 1-story with monitor roofs; a boiler house; and two c.1910 factories, 1-story and 3-story with flat roofs and concrete cornices and sills. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

• Flat
• Monitor

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Steam

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

2.64 acres at west end of Pratt Street extension

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 305/266/18/2 / Link →
• 305/266/17/17B / Link →

Acreage

2.64

Use (Present)

• Commercial
• Residential

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. Gillespie, Bancroft C. A Century of Meriden (Meriden: Journal Publishing Co., 1906).