Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• John L Himes cotton mill 1851-c.1858; 1860-1879
• Westcott & Pray Co. 1858-c.1890s
• William A. Robinson mill 1879-c.1890s
• Charles D. Chase woolen mill c.1890s-at least 1920

Use (Historic)

• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

Originally identified as the Whitestone Mill built by Westcott and Pray in 1858, this mill was in fact the 1850 mill built by Asa Alexander, whose earlier wood frame mill burnt in 1847. John L. Himes of RI set up 34 cotton looms in the rebuilt mill in 1851. Westcott and Pray took over operations for a few years through c.1860, after which Himes resumed operations. It was bought in 1879 by Edward Robinson of Providence; steam power was added during his ownership. It became a woolen mill under Charles Chase in he 1890s. The Whitestone Mill (aka Leffingwell's) was the next mill site upstream/east on Whetstone Brook and no longer survives. (2019 clarification/revision to Roth information courtesy Lucas Karmazinas). Westcott and Pray built Whitestone Mill in 1858 on the site of Leavens and Leffingwell's 1828 frame mill. In the 1880s Westcott and Pray used the 30' head of this water privilege to power 8,032 spindles and 150 looms making cotton sheetings and baggings. Employees lived in two stone 12-family houses; a building north of the mill may be part of one of these tenements. Several smaller mill houses and a former store nearby were associated with the next downstream mill (not extant), that of Asa Alexander and later John Himes. Various textile concerns used Whitestone from the 1890s on, including manufacturers of quilts, shoddy, bookbinding cloth and synthetic textiles. (Roth) Whetstone Mills is the name of the condo development

Number of Existing Buildings

One (1) block.

Dates of Construction

1851

Architect

n/a

Builder

Asa Alexander

Building Type

• Mill

Architectural Description

3 1/2-story and about 160' x 45', features a pedimented gable roof and granite lintels, sills and cornice. The dam, about 400' upstream, was built completely of rubble; now coarse concrete caps the structure. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Stone

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

• Gable

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Steam
• Water (Turbine)

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

At SEC of intersection of Beaman and Valley Roads on north side of Whetstone Brook.

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 119-17 / Link →

Acreage

n/a

Use (Present)

• 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. Lincoln, Allen B. editor, A Modern history of Windham County Connecticut, vol. 1 (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1920)