Mill Record Norwich

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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)
Reliance Yarn Co.
Complex Name (Historic)
  • Norwich Fishline Co.
  • Willimantic Silk Co.
Address or Location
556 East Main Street, Norwich
County
New London
Historic Designation
Associated Mill Community
n/a
Historic Information

Companies Associated w/Complex

  • Norwich Fishline Co. ca. 1868-ca.1872
  • Owaneco Silk Co. ca. 1892-ca. 1905
  • Reliance Worsted Co. ca. 1905-1913
  • Reliance Yarn Co. 1913-1940
  • Trinacria Specialty Mfg. Co. ca. 1940-late 20th c.
  • Willimantic Silk Co. ca. 1872-ca. 1892

Use (Historic)

Largest Documented Workforce

225-250 (Including the North M

Historic Narrative

The former Reliance Yarn Company plant was originally constructed for an unknown firm ca. 1849. The original occupant may have been the Norwich Fishline Company, which occupied the plant in 1868. Around 1872 the plant was acquired by the Willimantic Silk Company, which had been organized that year for the manufacture of silk ribbons. The firm remained in business for some 20 years, and in 1888 employed 90 workers processing around 10,000 pounds of saw silk per year. By 1892, the East Main Street mill had passed to the Owaneco Silk Company, which was in turn replaced by the Givernaud Brothers’ silk mill by the turn of the century. The plant next passed to the Reliance Worsted Company, a manufacturer of woolen and worsted goods organized ca. 1900. The company operated a primary plant on North Main Street, and established its second plant on East Main Street ca. 1905. By the early 1910s, the two facilities employed a total of 225 to 250 workers. The North Main Street facility contained 62 broadlooms and eight sets of carding machines, while the East Main Street plant was equipped with 30 looms and eight sets of cards. The Reliance Worsted Company continued to operate until 1913, when it was announced that the firm would be terminating its business due to the polluted condition of the Shetucket River, which the main plant relied upon as a water source. The high levels of dyes, oils, and tar that were discharged into the river by manufacturers upstream were ruining the textiles produced by Reliance Worsted and cost the company along the lines of $20,000 to $25,000 per year. The firm was capitalized at $94,000 at the time of its closure, which meant that stockholders faced a $75,000 loss. Regardless, the company’s equipment was put up for auction and by 1914 all had been sold. The East Main Street plant subsequently passed to the Reliance Yarn Company, which was organized for the production of woolen yarn in December 1913. The company’s founders included John Campbell, Philip Henault, and Jeremiah J. Desmond, at least one of which, Henault, has been associated with the former Reliance Worsted Company. The Reliance Yarn Company remained in operation until 1940, whereupon it was replaced by the Trinacria Specialty Manufacturing Company, a producer of textile mill supplies. Trinacria remained in business into the late-20th century, however, the plant is currently vacant.

Architectural Information

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly four (4) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1849, ca. 1905, ca. 1910, ca. 1920.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

Architectural Description

The former Reliance Yarn Company plant is comprised of approximately four primary adjoining and freestanding blocks located at the northeast corner of the intersection of East Main Street and Stanton Avenue. The earliest block is that located along East Main Street, which was erected ca. 1849. It is a two-and-a-half-story structure with an exposed basement level on its west elevation, facing Stanton Avenue. The building has a red brick basement level with wood frame construction above. It measures roughly 62’ x 80’ and has segmental-arched window openings throughout the basement, rectangular window openings above, and a low-pitch front-facing gable roof. The upper story windows have five-light transoms above the original openings, which consist of 20-light sash (the operating mechanism is unclear). A two-story wood-frame addition was erected abutting the original mill ca. 1920. This measures roughly 58’ x 66’ and is of similar detailing to the main building yet lacks the transoms above its window openings. A three-story, red brick stair tower provides access to both structures and is located between the two blocks along the mill’s west elevation. A one-story office block was erected on the east side of the original building ca. 1910. This is of wood-frame construction, has a flat roof, and measures approximately 22’ x 20’. The final block associated with the plant stands 20’ east of the office, was erected as a picker house ca. 1905 and consists of a two-story, 42’ x 42’ red brick building with segmental-arched window openings, stone sills, and a flat roof. A large door opening is located on its south (façade) elevation, however, the original doors have been removed. The same is the case of all of the original windows.

Exterior Material(s)

Structural System(s)

Roof Form

Roof Material

Power Source

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

The factory is in fair to deteriorated condition. Although the exterior walls of the main building and its additions are in need of repairs, and most of the original windows have been replaced or infilled, the majority of the facility appears structurally sound. The picker house, however, is in worse condition as its roof has collapsed exposing the interior to the elements.

Property Information

Specific Location

One legal parcel (556 East Main Street) totaling 0.85-acre at the northeast corner of the intersection of East Main Street and Stanton Avenue.

Adjacent To

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

Acreage

0.85

Use (Present)

Sources

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

06/24/2015

Bibliography

  1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
  2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
  3. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
  4. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
  5. Map of New London County; Baker, William A., 1854.
  6. Atlas of New London County, Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868.
  7. Birdseye View of Norwich, Connecticut; Vogt, C.H., 1876.
  8. Aero View of Norwich, Connecticut; Hughes and Bailey, 1912.
  9. Sanborn Map Company, 1885, 1892, 1897, 1903, 1909, 1914, 1926, 1949.
  10. Hartford Courant, 1913, 1940.
  11. Norwich, Connecticut; Norwich Board of Trade, 1888.
  12. Norwich, The Rose of New England; Norwich Evening Record, 1894.
  13. Norwich, Century of Growth; Society of the Founders of Norwich, CT, 1978.
  14. Norwich; Plummer, Dale, 2003.
Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file



Photographer

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Photography Date

06/24/2015