USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Torrington > History of Torrington, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1737, with biographies and genealogies > Part 8
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HOLBROOK'S MILLS.
Abijah Holbrook came from Bellingham, Mass., to Goshen, and in July 1787, bought, in company with Fisk Beach, land of Daniel
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Mills of Goshen, at the place on Naugatuck river afterwards known as Holbrook's mills, and later as Appley's mills. When Mr. Hol- brook and Beach made the purchase, there was a forge, or iron works on the land ; an attempt having been made to obtain iron from the ore found in this region but the quantity obtained was not sufficient to encourage this kind of enterprise. Mr. Holbrook and Beach built a grist mill and saw mill, and Mr. Holbrook erected the dwelling that is now falling to the ground, a little south of the mill. Its ruins show that it was once, more than an ordinary house. Mr. Holbrook was a man of wealth, and a " polished gentleman, far in advance of his generation in that particular."I Elijah Pond being brother-in-law to Mr. Holbrook, removed from Grafton, Massachusetts, about 1790, and engaged in the mill, and other enterprises with this brother-in-law, and it is thought, they had a purpose or intent to work the foundery in connection with the iron mine on Walnut mountain. Sylvanus Hol- brook, a nephew of Abijah, came from Massachusetts, very early in the present century, and resided some years in the vicinity of his uncle, and removed to Goshen where he died. He did a mercantile busi- ness in Baltimore which required his absence from home some months of each year.
About the year 1800, Capt. Elisha Hinsdale came from Canaan to this place and engaged in the manufacture of scythes and axes, and general blacksmithing. Here were made in large quantities, for those days, the celebrated clover-leaf scythe, and axes, and were carried on wagons to water transportations. Soon after, or about the time the Hindsdales came to this place, Josiah Appley became a resident, and finally the owner of much of the property of the place. He built a grist mill a little north of Holbrook's on the Hall Meadow brook.
Abijah Holbrook died in 1812, and in 1814 his widow Mary sold the homestead, grist mill and saw mill to Erastus Lyman and Thearon Beach of Goshen, for $2, 150, and removed from the place, to western New York. In 1816 Elisha Hindsdale sold his lands to his brother, Dea. Abel, and removed west, and from that day all business inter- ests in that locality have taken the down hill course, until only one old mill building is left, and that looks as if ready to tumble down any day. There are two dwellings that are occupied, which are the only things that show signs of life except the trees, which grow with
I So writes Dr. James O. Pond of New York.
FERGUSN ALBANY
FALLS AT TORRINGTON HOLLOW.
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a thrift almost surprising to Connecticut people. The little grave- yard, filled with graves, stands on the bank of the river, and is very beautiful because of its quietness, in its almost unbroken solitude, where the tumult of the great city will never disturb the ashes that rest there, while the wild birds of the woods will sing their marvel- ous songs above the dust of some of the noble sons and daughters of the honored pilgrims.
HART'S HOLLOW.
About a mile above Holbrook's mills, at a place called Hart's hol- low, in the edge of the town of Goshen, quite a business was con- ducted in making clocks, about 1820 ; a number of buildings were erected and for a time the place assumed considerable importance ; and as the natural outlet of the place was through Torrington, the place seemed a part of Torrington, and the inhabitants usually at- tended Torrington church.
TORRINGTON HOLLOW.
The first name that is now remembered as designating this part of the town, was Poverty hollow, a name that never attracted many persons to any place, although many have known where such a hol- low was situated. Thus things passed for a time until after the build- ing of the cotton mill, when it came to be called Cotton hollow ; but by some mysterious magic, has so far asserted its majesty as to throw off the Cotton, and now stands in the dignity of Torrington hollow ; the post office, however, has taken to itself the whole honor of the town, and is known by the one word, Torrington.
In February, 1813, Elijah B. Loomis, of New York, and Elisha Loomis and Abner M. Warriner, of Torrington, entered into part- nership, and built a mill or factory for the purpose of manufacturing cotton, woolen and other goods, at this place. The factory was located near the bridge on Goshen turnpike, and was built in 1813. The next January, other persons entered the partnership under the name of the Torrington Manufacturing Company, and the firm consisted of Elisha Loomis, Elijah B. Loomis, Abner M. Warriner, John W. Walker, Christopher Pierce, James Green and William Dexter ; the stock being eight thousand dollars.
In the next September it was mortgaged to David Wadhams and David Thomas of Goshen, to procure capital to insure success in the making of goods. This business enterprise, like the first woolen mill
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at Wolcottville, does not appear to have had any great success in making money, for it struggled along some years, under disadvantages, yet with much apparent effort, but did not prosper. The cot- ton was spun in the mill, then sent abroad among the farmers to be woven, and although it brought new work to many homes, it is doubtful if every one who undertook to weave, made a success of it, and with all the difficulties attending the work, there would have been no success but for the high price of the cloth, which sold from thirty to forty cents per yard.
A store was also put up in connection with the factory or about the same time, and was conducted by Mr. Green.
In 1827, the cotton factory was sold for debt, and changed hands several times until it came into the hands of Erastus Hodges, and as he had found success in nearly every enterprise he had undertaken, he pushed forward this with money and much energy, and he also interested himself largely in the making of clocks about the same time. Norris North engaged in the clock business, about 1820, and Mr. Hodges became interested with him, if he was not a part- ner. The clocks were made at first in Harvey Palmer's old carding machine, then in a part of Ormel Leach's grist mill, and after that in a building called the clock factory. Mr. Hodges also took the store of James Green, placing his sons in it and in the mill, to give them a start in business life. The store was removed to Wolcott- ville, previous to 1834, and continued some time by these sons, with the aid of their father.
In 1835, the brass foundery was started by Mr. Hodges and others, and the buildings were located below the bridge on the east bank, where they are now in a falling condition. This business was started with the purpose of making brass kettles by the battery, or hammer- ing process ; the preparations for the work were quite ample, and an agent was sent to Europe to procure men and machinery, and considerable quantity of machinery was shipped from Europe, but the vessel was wrecked and all was lost. Calamity and disaster at- tended nearly every effort in this undertaking, and after a little time the brass business at this place was purchased by Israel Coe, then of Wolcottville, engaged in the same enterprise.
After some years, these buildings were fitted for smelting ore, in hope of obtaining nickel, but the metal was not found to exist in suf- ficient quantities, or the process of separation was too costly to make it profitable to continue the work.
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BUSINESS CENTERS.
After the business of making clocks was discontinued, a lock fac- tory was established, in which George D. Wadhams, Mr. Goodwin and Edmund Wooding were interested, and engaged. When the lock business was closed, the building was used for making skates until the skate company removed.
In 1869, Chester L. Smith from Litchfield purchased this pro- perty, which the skate company had vacated, and commenced the manufacture of toys. After one year he began the making of sleds for children, which business he continued with success until his de- cease in August, 1876. Since then his sons Ralph R. Smith and Chester L. Smith have continued the same business.
It is stated that there was a grist mill some time before the year 1800, at this place, just below the site of the present bridge, but who built this mill and how long it continued its good work of making flour is not known.
Ormel Leach put a run of stone in the saw mill which stood a little up the stream, northeast of Wrightville, and continued it two or three years, and then built the mill which is now owned by Mr. Willard H. Barber at the hollow. This mill has been an important enter- prise for many years. Mr. Lucius Leach, son of Ormel, owned and conducted it a number of years, making additions and improvements, then sold it, with grist mill, saw mill and plaster mill, to Mr. Willard H. Barber in 1868, who continues the same with the addition of a new building, for a plaster and cider mill. The old saw mill, a little below the site of Harvey Palmer's carding mill, has out-lived its usefulness, and having nearly tumbled down might be taken for fire wood without any great sacrifice.
WRIGHTVILLE.
Wrightville, a cluster of a dozen houses, was the outgrowth of the scythe factory, organized in 1852 as a stock company, mostly of farmers ; for the purpose of manufacturing scythes and hoes ; with a certified stock of six thousand dollars ; the stockholders being Uri L. Whiting, Robert Wright, Albro W. Cowles, Rodney Brace, Geo. W. Loomis, Daniel A. Grant, Wm. A. Grant, Augustus Grant, Daniel Brown, Charles Hotchkiss, Frederick A. Griswold, Phineas North, Rodney Pierce. The officers were Phineas North, president, with Rodney Brace, Albro W. Cowles, Charles Hotchkiss direct- ors. A commodious building was erected of stone, and machinery
11
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HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.
for conducting the work in an advantageous manner was placed in the building. The work began under favorable circumstances, and to all appearances was in successful prosecution for several years. Some money was needed above the stock paid in, and in order to raise this money, the stockholders signed a paper obligating their personal property over or above the stock they severally owned. This done the business went on briskly. Much work was done ; scythes in large quantities were sold. Some few changes in the ownership of stock took place but not such as to affect the business in any respect. Thus things were progressing, when, after a season of good success in the sale of the goods produced, the company were reported to be heavily in debt, and work was stopped. Further examination proved each stockholder liable for several hundred dollars in addition to the loss of the stock he held. No business transaction ever had the damaging effect on the western part of the town that this break down had. Calamities in regard to money have fallen on persons in all parts of the town, but there are none heard of, concerning which there is any comparison of bitterness expressed, as about the Wright- ville scythe manufactory.
THE CARRIAGE SHOP.
About 1854, Mr. Hiram Pulver, having returned from a success- ful two or three years' trip to California, established himself in the carriage making business, at this place, where he has been found dili- gently and constantly engaged since that time, in making and repairing carriages and wagons in the most approved style. Such has been his reputation for thorough work that his business gradually increased until he found it necessary to remove to more commodious quarters, and hence erected in 1877, such buildings as were needed in Wol- cottville. Wrightville, therefore, will be more than ever deserted, and Wolcottville more busy and prosperous.
WRIGHTVILLE CHURCH.
Some time in 1865 or 6, the Second Advent people of Newfield, commenced holding meetings quite regularly at Wrightville, and in 1867 the Meeting house was built. It was a commodious building, equal to the needs of the congregation, and meetings were con- tinued in it and preaching maintained with considerable regularity several years. The society was never wealthy, but did what it
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could, and since the suspension of the scythe shop Wrightville has been growing less, and also this church.
BURRVILLE.
Elias Gilbert of New Haven bought land at this place, of David Soper, in 1812, on the west side of the river. This he sold the next year to Isaac Gilbert with " bark house and tan-vats " on it. In 1816, Newton Rossiter bought land of David Soper on the east side of the river, and in 1817 he bought of Chester Loomis, a ham- mer shop, which had been owned by Isaac Gilbert, and was probably built by him. In 1818, Mr. Rossiter bought Isaac Gilbert's tan- nery, and engaged in the tanning and shoe business extensively, and hence the name Rossiterville, by which the place was known a number of years.
In about 1828 or 9, Mr. Rossiter, having exchanged with the state of Connecticut, his property at this place for western lands, re- moved west. The old tannery is now owned and used by Mr. J. M. Burr, as a grist mill and shingle mill.
Bricks were made at first on Torringford street, near the old Burr tavern, and afterwards two or three kilns were established be- tween that place and the hollow, one of which, near Burrville, is still continued by Mr. John M. Burr. The Haydens also on Torring- ford street made large quantities of brick.
While the tannery was in successful progress, Mr. Milo Burr en- tered upon the work of reducing the pine timber, then covering the valley at this place, to lumber. For this end he had three saw mills in full operation a number of years, and the larger part of his success in life resulted from this lumber trade. Other enterprises he pursued with much energy, and for the hope of public good, the enlarging of the place ; but most of these efforts were to his own disadvantage, while the pine timber brought some compensation of comfort.
In 1851, he built a dam on the mountain west of the village and constructed what is well known as Burr's reservoir ; a most beauti- tiful sheet of water, in the woods among the rocky hills. The place and scenery are as wild and lonely as any civilized creature could wish, except as to extent. Once the dam gave way and the rushing waters came down the mountain gorge with such a noise as to give warning, and no lives were lost except one little child. The water
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HISTORY OF TORRINGTON.
in the reservoir is as clean and clear as is ever secured for family use, and the people of Burrville can have water with a hundred feet pressure in their houses at very little cost. On the brook leading from the reservoir to the village, near the latter, Mr. Milo Burr built, in 1854, a large building to be used as a manufactory. This was occupied some time by Mr. Gale, under the first patent for put- ting up condensed milk, by preserving with sugar. He began this work at Wolcottville but removed to this place as one reason, be- cause of the purity of the water here obtained. He removed to Dutchess county, N. Y., where his enterprise is in most successful operation, it having become of great importance to the people of large cities.
On Saturday, May 12, 1877, this building was consumed by fire.
Newton Rossiter, while conducting the tannery kept a small store, probably in his own dwelling. Afterwards Captain Milo Burr and Beach Baker removed the store building once used at Greenwoods street for a people's store to Burrville and Mr. Baker kept a store for a short time. Nelson Roberts took this store in 1848, and con- ducted it fourteen years, and then sold it to Lewis Johnson, who re- mained in it two years, and sold to Mr. E. S. Minor, who is still the merchant and rail road agent at the place. There is a post- office at the place ; Mr. John M. Burr, post-master. Mr. James Tallmadge had a wagon shop here about 1860, for a time, when he removed to Winsted.
DAYTONVILLE. THE ORGAN FACTORY.
Jonah Dayton, from Watertown, Ct., came to Torrington when a young man, and bought land of David Soper one mile north of Wolcottville, in 1809 and 1810, on which he built a house and other buildings. Upon the farm he then bought, stand most of the dozen dwellings which now compose the place called Daytonville. The number of houses does not entitle the place to the name of a village, but the business transactions which have taken place there warrant the perpetuation of such honor for many years to come. Mr. Dayton was a farmer, and in this work made improvements about his home until about 1831, when he built a saw mill by which his work was considerably increased. In 1834, his son Arvid Dayton, put up a building in which he did various kinds of mechanical work a number of years, and in this shop he built his first pipe organ in 1840. In
.
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1844, a large addition was made to this shop, which has been occu- pied since that time as an organ factory. In 1846, he built his first reed organ, and thereby was the first to build organs of this kind, in America, so far as is known. For twenty years or more he was busy, employing a number of hands, in making these instruments ; more than five thousand having been sent out to make melody in the churches and in the homes of Connecticut and many other states.
Between 1850 and 1860, he made many valuable improvements in organs of this kind but being more attentive to the making of per- fect instruments than to the retaining the control of his improvements, he did not obtain patents on his inventions, and freely exhibited these instruments to the one purpose of selling them. The result was that other persons, forming companies with large capital, used these im- provements, greatly to their own advantage without any profit to him. Many of the most finished workmen, employed in the largest manufactories in the country learned their trade under Mr. Dayton. The "Tuner's Gamut" an invention of Mr. Dayton, for tuning these organs is an instrument in general use, and is acknowledged to be of very great value in securing perfect harmony in the tones of such instruments.
One patent he has lately obtained, which has brought him some appropriate remuneration.
THE RAKE FACTORY.
Soon after Jonah Dayton settled on his farm, Bassett Dunbar es- tablished a shop, a little way up the river, at the old Munn place, for making hay-rakes, and fork and hoe handles. This business he continued many years. The name B. Dunbar became familiar to the people throughout Connecticut, and many other states, by being branded on the rake heads and hoe-handles, although few persons had any knowledge of the retired place where so far famed a man resided. If all the old familiar friends of B. Dunbar should come and settle in the region of Wolcottville, a large city would at once occupy the Naugatuck valley. Far away to Ohio has the name, B. Dunbar, gone, although the man who bore it may never have crossed the Hudson river. In our day this would be nothing, for the monthly report of the standing of our school children goes much further than that, but in that day it was very different.
After the making of rakes had ended, Samuel De Forest bought this shop and used it in making German silver spoons, and afterwards sold it to Lyman Clark, a carpenter and builder, who among other
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edifices, built the second Church at Torrington green, in 1848. Mr. Clark sold to James Ashborn, who made guitars until the commence- ment of the late rebellion when the sale of these instruments ended. It was rented for a time for the making of piano covers, and in 1866, the Excelsior Needle Company bought it and made needles there until their business became too extensive for the size of the building, when they removed to Wolcottville.
This shop is now a saw mill, owned by Frederick Wadhams, with a circular saw that will turn out six hundred feet of boards an hour, or will run through a log fifteen feet in length, one foot in diameter in fifteen seconds, a great change from the old mill which stood further up the river, which would allow a man to eat his dinner while the saw made the length of the log.
JUDE FREEMAN'S MILL,
This saw mill stood a little distance above Bassett Dunbar's shop, and was owned by Jude Freeman, a colored man, many years. He also owned a large farm on Red mountain on which he resided. Jonah Dayton was known to say many times that Mr. Freeman could borrow a hundred dollars as readily as any man in town because he was as good pay as any body. This mill and mill privilege fell into the hands of Elkanah Barber, son of Elihu Barber, who continued the old mill, and added a cider mill and a blacksmith shop, but these are all gone now except a few old timbers.
HUNTINGTON'S CARDING MILL.
William Huntington from Harwinton established a carding mill, about half a mile above Daytonville, and a few rods above Elkanah Barber's saw mill, about 1829, and here he continued to card wool and dress cloth for many years. This property has changed hands several times and is now owned by Squire Scoville, and is occupied as a saw mill.
COOK'S SAW MILL.
This mill is below Daytonville, a short distance, and was built originally by David Soper, Joseph Gaylord, and John Cook, Jr., about or before 1800. It is now owned by the Cook families.
CHAPTER IX.
WOLCOTTVILLE.
HOW IT BECAME A VILLAGE.
HE first business transaction that led the way of all others in building Wolcottville as a village, was the purchasing by Amos Wilson of the proprietors of the town, the mill privileges, on Waterbury river, west branch, in March 1751; the site known since as that of Wilson's mill. He was then twenty-five years of age ; had been in the town less than a year ; was the owner of fifty acres of land given him by his father ; and by this transaction started himself in business for life. His brother Noah had been in the town seven or eight years, and was the owner, at this time, of two or three hundred acres of land. The next step of progress was the formation of the stock company and the building of the mill soon after, probably the same year. The company bought at different times various portions of the pine timber land, and Noah and Amos Wilson bought for their in- dividual possession, strip after strip, as the owners were willing to sell, until a considerable part of the pine timber was under their con- trol. In October 1752, Amos Wilson married Zerviah Grant, daughter of William Grant, one of the proprietors of the mill, a transaction with a foresight to business as well as domestic felicity ; and made his home west of the mill near the present residence of Mr. Burton Patterson.
The next enterprise of Amos Wilson was, a store and a shoe shop. His account book still preserved 1 reveals the extent of this department of usefulness as well as the work done at the mill. The earliest date in this book is 1759, and the book shows that there had been another, previous to this, kept by Amos Wilson.
It was this saw mill that was to clear the pine timber from the swamp and open the way for a beautiful village. This timber was valuable. Mast swamp has been represented as a worthless piece of territory, so much so that the committee in laying out the town could
I Mr. John W. Brooks, of Wolcottville, told a peddler if he obtained any old books to let him see them. Therefore this book is preserved.
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scarcely devise a plan to dispose of it, whereas it was reserved dur- ing all the other divisions for the reason that it was of such value that every proprietor demanded his share in proportion to the amount of his list. For twenty years the proprietors, by various committees protected the pine timber, and ordered prosecutions in court, even at large expense, upon any person who should cut it, and for what reason? Because it was so worthless ? Any of the old proprietors would have laughed at the idea. They had houses and barns to build ; and they knew that pine lumber was far preferable and more durable than hemlock for such purposes, and to suppose to the con- trary is a disparagement of the keen sighted calculations of the fath- ers of Torrington. Many of the farmers cut this timber as they needed it ; hired the use of Wilson's mill to saw it; and worked at the mill night and day to that end, and then used it at their homes ; and after this process had been going on fifty years and more, they sold their lots with what remained on them, some of them as the deeds show, for sixty dollars and over, per acre. Between 1790 and 1800, Roger Wilson and Roswell Wilson, bought in com - pany and separately, between twenty and thirty of these lots, paying the above prices for a number of them.
A highway through the swamp was laid at the time of the first division, in 1734, half a mile north of, and parallel with the Litch- field line, and crossed the west branch some distance above Wilson's mill, passing eastward a little north of the present Congregational parsonage, and was a traveled road very early. It was, indeed, the only road through the swamp, for twenty or more years. In 1752, a highway was laid through the swamp, near the middle, from north to south, twenty feet wide, which is now Main street. In the same year another one was laid from the mill place " east, twenty feet wide until it comes into the other road." That is now Water street. The other highway, known now as South Main street, was made at a later date. The first road leading to Waterbury began at the west end of the bridge above Wilson's mill, and passed down on the south side of the river, crossing the brook below the park, and was called the New Haven road. The old Litchfield road came down the ravine into the New Haven road near this brook. On the east side of the river a highway was laid in 1752, from the Litchfield line running north as far as the pine timber division of land. This road was extended south into Litchfield and became a traveled road quite early, and several dwellings were standing on it before 1800.
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