USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Waterbury > The town and city of Waterbury, Connecticut, from the aboriginal period to the year eighteen hundred and ninety-five, Volume I > Part 62
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105
One would hardly expect that Mattatuck would remain depend- ent upon one grist mill for fifty years. But the present writer can find no allusion to any other in the records until November 25, 1729, when John Warner deeded to James Williams a piece of land near "the new mill." This was at the mouth of Spruce brook, a small stream running into Steel's brook on the west side, from the north end of Bunker hill, the spot where now is the old dam of the Oakville company. The road at that time seems to have fol- lowed the stream more closely than at present, and to have passed by the mill. The following year (1730) John Sutliff from Branford built a grist mill at the falls of the Naugatuck about two miles
* See his History of Waterbury, pp. 83-90.
576
HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
below Thomaston, where Henry Terry afterwards had a woollen mill and where there is now a knife factory. A few years later there was a grist mill on Fulling Mill brook (p. 350). By this time grist mills had ceased to be a novelty and were built where and when they were wanted. Some of them will be alluded to as we follow up the history of the various streams.
SAW MILLS.
Next in importance to the grist mill as a necessity for the set- tlers of Mattatuck, if not before it, comes the saw mill. Naturally then we find that the two were started practically at the same time. The first reference to the saw mill comes only three years after the vote to encourage the building of the grist mill-that is, accepting the reference (quoted below) as establishing the fact that the saw mill was in operation at that time. Be this as it may, the first saw mill was situated on the Mad river at Sawmill plain, and probably where the leather factory now is-some thirty rods south of the Meriden turnpike. Reference has been made (p. 218) to a piece of land laid out to Samuel Hickox, Jr., " three acres at the Pine swamp by the path that leads to the saw mill." This was on Jan- uary 3, 1686. Dr. Bronson (page 90) thought this might refer to the place where the clock factory now stands, a little south of Cherry street, and where it is known that there was an early saw mill. But Pine swamp, when Dr. Bronson wrote, had not been located, as it has been since. It is the swamp on the north side of the Meriden turnpike, just on the edge of the Sawmill Plain school district. Carrington brook runs through it, and it has been sometimes called, from that fact, "Carrington's swamp." So this seems to locate the early saw mill beyond a doubt. It is clear from the report of the committee * that they had clapboards there as early as 1682. They may have been "riven" like shingles and finished with broad-axe and draw-knife (they were sometimes made that way), and they may have been dragged over the mountain from Farmington. But boards would be wanted for many purposes, and in the excuses for delays in finishing buildings nothing appears about any difficulty in getting lumber. It looks, therefore, very much as if this saw mill might then have been in working order as early as 1682. There appears to have been a grant of thirty acres of land to encourage the building of this mill, as there was in the case of the grist mill. The original record of this grant is probably on one of the lost
* See page 179.
577
OLD MILLS AND EARLY MANUFACTURES.
leaves. At any rate nothing appears of it in the records until November 28, 1722,* when the proprietors by vote
agree that the grant of thirty acres to the old saw mill proprietors shall stand good, only they shall be obliged to take it in the undivided land in one piece, or every one to take his part of the thirty acres by his own land.
On April 15, 1723, we find this:
There was laid out to Edmund Scott two acres wanting ten rods, at a place called Cotton Wool meadow, which land came to him by being a partner in the old saw mill.
Why this delay was permitted when the early settlers seemed so avaricious of land, is not easy to imagine. One Macy (Mckinney, Makenny, Mackey, or something idem sonans, the spelling varying greatly), had a ten acre grant near the first mill, and may have been the man in charge. He soon disappears.
At a town meeting on January 6, 1698-9, liberty is given to set up a saw mill by the corn mill, on certain conditions. But at a meeting held in February, 1699-1700, this vote was cancelled, and leave was given to Sergeant Bronson, Deacon Judd, John Hopkins, Samuel Hickox and John Richardson, to set up a saw mill at the corn mill, they making and maintaining two rods of the dam from the corn mill east. Whether anything was done under this vote there is no evidence, unless it be a vote passed March 18, 1701, by which Stephen Upson and Benjamin Barns were appointed a com- mittee to lay out the mill lot at the mill and what highways are needful for the " mils." This is distinctly written in the plural. The fact that it was necessary to lay out the highways about the mills more than ten years after the corn mill had been in use is significant. If there was a mill there it was probably on the bank near where the button factory afterwards stood. The owners of the mill at one time had a saw mill some distance lower down on the east side of the river, but nothing appears in regard to this until many years later On January 30, 1699-1700, the town gave liberty "to them men that see cause for to set up a saw mill at the north end of the long hill, the liberty of the streeme and conven- iency of pounding [ponding ?]" and the right to improve the land they needed to set the mill on and to lay logs and the like, the land to be their own so long as they maintained a saw mill at that place, No further trace of this mill is to be found. It may be added that after about 1720 saw mills increased in number rapidly.
* Vol. I, Highways, page 413.
37
578
HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
FULLING MILLS.
The conditions of life in the " Age of Homespun "-as described in a preceding chapter-included the process by which the wool from the back of a particular sheep became a coat on the back of a particular member of the family to whose flock that sheep belonged. It is not strange then to find indications that, in the fourteen years since the settlement of the town, there had been consider- able progress in sheep-raising, as attested by the record of January 20, 1692 (page 330), that "there was sequestered the Great brook from Edmund Scott's lot down to Samuel Hickox, Jr.'s, lot, for to build a fulling mill." As nearly as can be ascertained this sequester covers the ground at present occupied by the Waterbury Manufac- turing company, or possibly also the next privilege below, near where Nathan Prindle had a fulling mill some forty years later. Whether there was any fulling mill built at the time of the sequester is uncertain, but this same Samuel Hickox, Jr., went to Fulling Mill brook at Judd's meadow about ten years later than this, and in 1709 had a fulling mill there which gave the brook its name,-the first regarding which we have positive evidence (see p. 347). A fulling mill was not an elaborate structure. It is quite possible that Hickox may have had one on Great brook, and that there were others also. By a record of January 10, 1705, we find that two acres were granted to Dr. Daniel Porter at the south end of his land "for the conven- iency of setting up a fulling mill on Carrington brook," where he may have had one. By a record in April, 1737, we find that Nathan Prindle sold to Nathaniel Arnold a fulling mill which was near the corner of North Main and Cherry streets. Dr. Bronson thinks this mill was built about 1728. Not long after this, Nathan Beard built one on the Naugatuck at the mouth of Hancock brook. From this time we find frequent references to fulling mills until about 1835, when the manufacture of domestic woollen cloth mostly ceased. By that time it was cheaper to buy than to manufacture it.
WATER-POWERS IN GENERAL.
THE NAUGATUCK.
Persons who are unfamiliar with the early history of Waterbury have probably-and naturally-the impression that the foundation of the manufacturing business here is the water-power of the Naugatuck river. Such persons will be surprised to learn that in a hun-
579
OLD MILLS AND EARLY MANUFACTURES.
dred years, from (about) 1750 to 1849, there was but one place within the boundaries of the present town where the power of the Nauga- tuck river was used, namely, at Platt's mills, about three miles south from the centre. It was the smaller affluents of the Nauga- tuck which furnished most of the power. Perhaps a brief notice of the mill sites on the various streams in their geographical order is as simple a method as any of giving some account of the industries assisted by water-power. It is well nigh impossible, however, to make such a list exhaustive, so many very small streams having at various times been utilized. In many of these cases all memory and trace of the work itself and the people who did it have disappeared. A considerable number also known to exist have not been definitely located.
Beginning at the lower end of the ancient town, and proceeding northward, the first power is Ward's, about a mile below Naugatuck. This was established by Richard Ward about 1835 for the manufac- ture of clocks. It has remained in the family and is still used for the manufacture of small brass goods. A power (2) lately abandoned and united with the one next above was last used by the Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe company,-before that by the Tuttle Manufacturing company. It was taken from the one above by extending the canal in 1847, and reunited in 1892. The old power (3) at Naugatuck centre (which appears first on the record in 1824) was used by Silas Grilley and Chauncey Lewis (Milo Lewis was with them later) in the manufacture of buttons .* The Platts mills property (4) was purchased by Lemuel Hoadley of Ezekiel Upson in 1772. There is no mention of a mill in the deed, but there is a reference to it as a landmark in a deed a few years later. The natural inference then is that Lemuel Hoadley built the mill soon after purchasing the property. About 1800 Jesse Hopkins had a nail factory on a portion of the property. The road to it was over the hill almost west from the turnpike passing near Elijah Nettle- ton's house. The mill stood on the east side of the present road, which was opened about fifty years ago. A canal ran parallel with, and near to, the river along the west side of the present road. Between this and the river were several small shops, including a saw mill, a flax breaker and a wire bench. There were various other industries pursued here, mostly in a small way. About 1849 the Benedict & Burnham Manufacturing company (5) put in a tur-
* J. M. L. & W. H. Scovill used the factory while rebuilding theirs, which was destroyed by fire in 1830. In 1831 it was sold to Sylvester Clark, who manufactured eight-day brass clocks; but about 1835 it was sold to John Tillou, who manufactured spinning machinery for some years. It is now owned by the Goodyear India Rubber Glove company.
580
HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
bine wheel at their factory which was turned by water from the Naugatuck. The fall was obtained by a deep tail-race running to a point known as "Long meadow bars" at the foot of "Nichols's meadow," and draining a small pool known as "Nichols's pond." This gave a fall of about nine feet, but it was abandoned about 1885.
In 1848 a company called the Waterbury Water Power company was formed to utilize the power in the Naugatuck opposite the borough (6). By an arrangement with the Naugatuck Railroad company the canal was formed by building a raised track for the road. This privilege was first used by the Manhan Manufacturing company for making felt cloth; afterward by the American Flask and Cap company, and is now the property of the Waterbury Brass company. On March 7, 1737, Nathan Beard purchased of Daniel Porter a tract of land on the Naugatuck river, at the mouth of Hancock brook (7). Soon after, he had a grist mill there, and later a fulling mill. All trace of this privilege has long since disappeared. He sold the land, reserving the mill, to J. Scovill, in 1745. The mill was afterward owned by Seba Bronson, who also had another on Steel's brook. There was a privilege (8) owned by Samuel Hickox some distance above Waterville, near the Brown bridge, so called- now abandoned. It was there in 1745 (see Bronson, page 99). The privilege (9) at the falls where John Sutliff built his mill in 1730, is, the writer thinks, the first in the town on the Naugatuck. It is now in Thomaston. It has been used for a woollen mill, a clock factory, and probably for other purposes; and is now used for a knife factory.
LONG MEADOW BROOK.
This stream enters the Naugatuck from the west, a short dis- tance below the central part of Naugatuck village. The first power on this stream is now occupied by the Dunham Hosiery company. For many years (I) it was used as a woollen mill by William C. De Forest. It was Scott's grist mill in 1770. Butler's house (p. 122) was near here, a little to the south. The Rubber works (2), long noted as having a wooden wheel of the largest diameter in the state (the writer thinks fifty-six feet), was formerly Candee's woollen mill. Silas Constant, Stephen Warner and others had a saw mill there (3) in 1777. How long it had been built is uncertain; probably not very long, from the phrases used. There was also a cluster of small powers at Millville (4 to 9) established, for the most part, in the middle or early half of the last century, by some members of the Gunn family. Nathaniel Gunn had a saw mill in 1739. Osborn's saw mill (10) was located on this stream. Samuel Wheeler had a saw mill (II) in 1749, and later a carding
581
OLD MILLS AND EARLY MANUFACTURES.
mill. Arah Ward had a grist mill (12) soon after. The stream from Towantic pond enters Long Meadow brook near this point. Towantic pond lies to the southwest and Long Meadow pond to the northwest. In Chapter IV (p. 40) the two are spoken of as one, but they are in fact half a mile or more apart. Long Meadow brook was often called Towantic brook in the record, which prob- ably accounts for the confusion of names.
HOP BROOK.
This stream enters the Naugatuck from the west a little below Union City. A privilege (1), now belonging to the Upson family, was first used by Eliel and Amory Mann for the manufacture of mouse traps, spools and other small wooden wares. It was used later by Lyman Bradley and Gilbert Hotchkiss in the manufacture of pocket cutlery. A privilege (2) sometimes spoken of as "the Falls," now known as Bradleyville, is the one used by Abram Wooster in 1752 for a saw mill, and by Amasa Scovill in 1785. About 1840 Lyman Bradley made cutlery here, and since then Samuel Root has carried on the same business. (3) In 1781 James Porter sold Asa Leaven- worth, then of Watertown, a grist mill here. In the first half of this century Asa Fenn had an axe factory on or near the same place. In the interval it had changed hands many times. Isaac Bronson had a saw mill (4) at Break Neck-now Abbott's. This was proba- bly the first saw mill in that part of the town. There was also (5) a small shop near the "Dennis place," so called.
FULLING MILL BROOK, NOW GENERALLY CALLED CITY BROOK.
This stream enters the Naugatuck from the east at Union City. The first attempt (1) to utilize it for mill purposes was made by Samuel Hickox, who set up a fulling mill before 1713 .* Ebenezer Hickox (son of Samuel) built a grist mill on the same spot, soon after the year 1733. In 1737 he sold it to Hezekiah Rew with the house over the mill. Rew sold it the same year to James Baldwin, who deeded to William Hoadley of Branford and May Way of Waterbury in the year 1751 about 200 acres of land with the grist mill. Soon after, Hoadley bought out Way, and at Hoadley's death it went to his sons, William and Jude. The mill property was in 1799 sold in part to Jared Byington. William Hoadley retained the mill and his house lot. Hoadley ran the grist mill until about 1810, when he sold it to Ebenezer Scott. Byington deeded his part to his sons, Jesse and Isaac, and they conveyed the property in 1808 to
* See Bronson's History, page 92.
582
HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
Amasa Goodyear, Joseph Nichols, Henry Grilley, Jr., and Joel M. Munson, under the firm name of the New Haven and Baltimore Button company. Their shops were a little east of the grist mill. Mention is made of a trip hammer shop, and a patent nail cutter (this trip hammer was probably the first one used in the town of Waterbury). Amasa Goodyear manufactured forks, cast buttons, spoons and molasses gates. After Goodyear failed (about 1831) the factory was occupied by different parties until about 1842, when Clark Warner and Lampson Isbell commenced the manufacture of carding machines. Afterward the business was carried on under the name of the Naugatuck Machine company. Their buildings were destroyed by fire several years ago. A new building was erected and pumps were made for a short time. It is now occupied by a house builder, George Parks. There was a saw mill (2) mentioned as early as 1751. It was probably a little east of the grist mill, but it may possibly have been as far up the brook as the ivory button shop mentioned below. The saw mill had disappeared before 1805. Edwin Scott had a carding mill (3) in operation on this mill site in 1805. Jairus Downs was running a clothier's shop at this place in the year 1819. Amasa Goodyear built before 1831 a store on or near this mill site. After Goodyear failed (about 1831 or '32), Robert Isbell and Letsom Terrell made japanned tin but- tons in the store building. Since then George and Eldridge Smith made buttons in the old store. This building was used for a paper box shop when it was destroyed by fire a few years ago. It was never rebuilt. Lucian Judd built a shop (4) about 1819, in which he manufactured wooden buttons for a number of years. Lucian Judd and David Wooster (a brother of Jesse) here drew copper wire, about 1825, and continued this business for a considerable time. They were probably the first to draw copper wire in the town of Waterbury. Between 1830 and 1840 Smith & Hopkins made cloth buttons in this shop. Afterward Alonzo Wheeler entered the firm. About 1859 the business was removed to Saugatuck. The prop- erty is now owned by James Bird, who formerly made differential pulleys. He is now making buttons. Anson Smith and his son Harry built a shop (5) on this site about 1822. They manufactured ivory buttons. About the year 1826 they sold their plant to Amasa Goodyear, who made buttons and other similiar things. After Good- year failed, Asahel Smith and Oscar Hotchkiss made buttons at this place, and subsequently Asahel Smith and Harry Tomlinson also until about 1839. Eben Tuttle commenced the manufacture of hoes here about 1843, and continued the same until the Tuttle Man- ufacturing company was formed. They were later located below
583
OLD MILLS AND EARLY MANUFACTURES.
the centre of Naugatuck. The Connecticut Cutlery company about 1867 or 1868 built a new factory. Since they closed up their affairs the factory has remained most of the time unoccupied. At present D. & H. Pratt occupy the place as a thimble shop. Lorin Isbell (6) built a shop on this site about 1828. He made bone buttons here for a number of years. Afterward Oscar Hotchkiss and Amos Ellis manufactured buttons here for a short time. About the year 1849 Harris and Robert Isbell made covered buttons in the old build- ing. They enlarged the shop and continued in the button busi- ness for two or more years. Afterward Silas and Perkins Grilley made ivory headed nails at this place. The old shop and the saw mill that stood near by have both disappeared. The shop (7) that Asahel Smith formerly occupied was built about 1840. A larger factory was built several years ago by his son, Edwin F. Smith. The firm is now E. F. Smith & Son. They manufacture ivory and metal buttons. The Union Knife company (8) was organized about 1850. It was destroyed by fire several years ago and never rebuilt. A button shop (9) was built by a son of Ransom Russell about 1850. After being occupied by W. H. K. Godfrey as a thimble factory, it was for a time used by D. Pratt. It was destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. About 1855 W. S. Kelly built a suspender factory (10) here, using it for a short time. Nothing has been done here for years. The shop (II) first occupied by Monroe Terrill for buttons, is now used by H. Twitchell & Son, manufacturers of safety pins and sim- ilar articles. On a branch from the south is a shop (12) where Samuel Grilley made metal buttons about 1807, and Horace Smith about 1841 .*
SMUG BROOK.
This stream enters the Naugatuck from the east, about two miles below the centre of Waterbury. Near its mouth is the factory of the Smith & Griggs company (I). This privilege was originally an iron foundry built by Merrit Nichols or his father, Joseph, early in this century. About 1838, Dr. David Prichard made german silver spoons there. A few years later Henry A. Matthews, John Forest and others started a manufactory of small metal wares, calling it the Hope Manufacturing company. This gave the settlement the name of Hopeville, which it has since retained. Spencer and Bennet Prichard had a small shop (2) about half a mile up the stream. This subsequently (about thirty years since) passed into the possession of William T. Mabbott, who manufactured buttons
* For this account ot the privileges on Fulling Mill brook, and for facts respecting several other privil- eges in Naugatuck, we are indebted to Mr. William Ward.
584
HISTORY OF WATERBURY.
and other pearl goods. This gave to the ponds there the name of Pearl lakes.
MAD RIVER.
This stream enters the Naugatuck from the east, at the south- ern part of the city of Waterbury. The first power was utilized (1) by Colonel William Leavenworth about 1802. In 1810 he leased it with "a turning shop standing thereon." Its subsequent history is merged in that of the Benedict & Burnham Manufacturing company. On the east side of the river, near where Daniel Steele's cloth dressing factory stood later, there was a saw mill (2), prob- ably the one belonging to the Baldwins, on which they paid taxes in 1788. It is possible that this saw mill was the outcome of the permission given to erect a saw mill near the grist mill in 1699, as it belonged in 1788 to the people who owned the grist mill, although it was probably a later enterprise. On the west side, where the American mills now are, Colonel Leaven- worth established a saw mill and grist mill about 1800. In 1804 he deeded an interest to Daniel Steele. In 1805 they leased a portion of the grist mill to Towsey, Gibbs & Co., for a carding machine. Daniel Steele subsequently had a carding and cloth dressing shop on the east side of the river. About 1830 this was occupied under a lease by Joel Johnson. On the west side Colonel Leavenworth carried on clock making, somewhat extensively for the times. After his failure, wood turning, small hardware making (called whitesmithing), pearl button making, and other small indus- tries were pursued there until 1830, when Charles D. Kingsbury sold the property to the Naugatuck (afterwards Beecher) Manufac- turing company. After its failure E. E. Prichard, Julius Hotch- kiss and C. B. Merriman began the manufacture of India rubber suspenders there. This, later, became the American Suspender company, and finally the American Mills company.
The Scovill Manufacturing company (3) occupies the site of the first grist mill, the oldest privilege in town. It remained a grist mill, although portions of it may have been used for other purposes, until September 21, 1808, when Lemuel Harrison deeded it to Abel Porter and others. Then it became a button factory with a grist mill attached, as is elsewhere related. About 1836 Leonard Platt built a small factory (4) for the manufacture of button eyes, a few rods west of Dublin street and south from Mad river. The water was taken from the river some distance east of Dublin street, and the ground now covered by the Meriden and Waterbury railroad station was used as a reservoir. About 1840 this privilege was merged in that of the Scovill Manufacturing company. Not long
585
OLD MILLS AND EARLY MANUFACTURES.
after, the button-eye business was purchased by David B. Hurd, who continued it until his death, at a shop near the present site of the church of the Sacred Heart. As it may not be noticed elsewhere, it is proper to say here that before the invention of the automatic machine by Leonard Platt, button eyes were made in a slow way on a machine worked by a crank and lever, by hand and foot power. This machine of Platt's was a very important improvement. He was a staunch Episcopalian, a steady church-goer. Before he per- fected his machine he worked at it a long time, had spent all his money and was much depressed. Joel Johnson, with whom he lived, related that one Sunday, while in church, all at once Platt's man- ner changed; he looked bright and clear, sat up straight, lifted his head and paid close attention to the sermon. The next day the machine was completed. Johnson, however, had too high a regard for Platt to ask invidious questions.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.