Hallville Mill Historic District
Encyclopedia
Hallville Mill Historic District is a historic district
in the town
of Preston
, Connecticut
, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1996. Contributing properties
in the district are 23 buildings, two other contributing structures, and one other contributing site over a 50 acres (20.2 ha) area. The district includes the dam
that forms Hallville Pond (a mill pond), historic manufacturing buildings and worker housing, and the Hallville Mill Bridge, a lenticular pony truss bridge
built circa 1890 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company.
Hallville is a historic textile mill village
. The first mill on the local stream, Indiantown Brook, was a fulling mill
built in 1752 for finishing of locally produced homespun
woolen cloth
. Carding
machines were added in the early 19th century. In 1857 Joseph Hall, Sr., a weaver born in England
, built an industrial-scale woolen mill
on the site. The mill remained under his family's ownership under the name Hall Brothers' Woolen Mill (named for the founder's sons) and was continually expanded over the years. As of 1888 the mill employed 175 workers and produced 860000 yards (786,384 m) of cloth
annually. The woolen mill burned in 1943, but manufacturing continued in Hallville until the 1960s. It was a major source of employment and tax revenue for the town of Preston.
The district has significance "as an intact representative small-scale 19th-century mill village
containing a high concentration of contributing buildings and structures built as components of a company-owned town
based initially on so-called Rhode Island manufacturing system." As such, the mill and its associated village provide physical evidence of the area's economic transition to industrial production during the late 19th century.
Route 2A, a two-lane undivided highway, passes through Hallville. Increased traffic volumes on this road, attributed to the nearby Foxwoods
and Mohegan Sun
casino
s, are considered to be a threat to the historic character of the village.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
in the town
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
of Preston
Preston, Connecticut
Preston is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,688 at the 2000 census. The town includes the villages of Long Society, Preston City, and Poquetanuck.-History:...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1996. Contributing properties
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
in the district are 23 buildings, two other contributing structures, and one other contributing site over a 50 acres (20.2 ha) area. The district includes the dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
that forms Hallville Pond (a mill pond), historic manufacturing buildings and worker housing, and the Hallville Mill Bridge, a lenticular pony truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
built circa 1890 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company.
Hallville is a historic textile mill village
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
. The first mill on the local stream, Indiantown Brook, was a fulling mill
Fulling
Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
built in 1752 for finishing of locally produced homespun
Homespun
Homespun is a demo album by XTC released by Cooking Vinyl and Idea Records. A companion to Apple Venus Volume 1, it has the same running order as its parent album...
woolen cloth
Woolen
Woolen or woollen is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn...
. Carding
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
machines were added in the early 19th century. In 1857 Joseph Hall, Sr., a weaver born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, built an industrial-scale woolen mill
Textile manufacturing
Textile manufacturing is a major industry. It is based in the conversion of three types of fibre into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. These are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. Cotton remains the most important natural fibre, so is treated in depth...
on the site. The mill remained under his family's ownership under the name Hall Brothers' Woolen Mill (named for the founder's sons) and was continually expanded over the years. As of 1888 the mill employed 175 workers and produced 860000 yards (786,384 m) of cloth
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
annually. The woolen mill burned in 1943, but manufacturing continued in Hallville until the 1960s. It was a major source of employment and tax revenue for the town of Preston.
The district has significance "as an intact representative small-scale 19th-century mill village
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
containing a high concentration of contributing buildings and structures built as components of a company-owned town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
based initially on so-called Rhode Island manufacturing system." As such, the mill and its associated village provide physical evidence of the area's economic transition to industrial production during the late 19th century.
Route 2A, a two-lane undivided highway, passes through Hallville. Increased traffic volumes on this road, attributed to the nearby Foxwoods
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel-casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. Together with the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, it is one of the largest casino complexes in the world in terms of floor space for gaming. The entire resort comprises of space. The casino has over 380 gaming tables...
and Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s, are considered to be a threat to the historic character of the village.