Atwater Manufacturing Company facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Atwater Manufacturing Company
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 335 Atwater St., Southington, Connecticut |
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| Area | 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) |
| Built | c. 1912 |
| Architectural style | Industrial vernacular |
| MPS | Historic Industrial Complexes of Southington TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002678 |
| Added to NRHP | December 8, 1988 |
The Atwater Manufacturing Company is a very old factory building in Southington, Connecticut. It is located at 335 Atwater Street. This company started way back in 1867. Today, it is known as Rex Forge. For a long time, it has been one of the biggest employers in Southington. The buildings you see there today were built starting around 1912. They are an important part of the town's history. This property was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This means it is a special place worth protecting.
What is the Atwater Manufacturing Company?
The Atwater Manufacturing Company factory is in the Plantsville area of Southington. It sits on the east side of Atwater Street. You can find it just north of where Atwater Street meets Canal Street. The factory buildings stretch out in a line. To the east, you'll find the Quinnipiac River. This river flows south. On the other side, between the factory and Atwater Street, is an old railroad track. This track is now a path for walking and biking.
What Do the Buildings Look Like?
There are ten buildings in total at the factory site. They were built at different times. The oldest ones are from about 1912. The newest ones were built in the 1980s. Most of the buildings have outer walls made of corrugated metal. This is a strong, wavy metal material. However, some of the very oldest buildings have brick walls. These brick walls are painted.
The buildings are either one or two stories tall. The biggest building is the main forge building. A forge is a place where metal is heated and shaped. This large building has a sloped roof called a gabled roof. It also has a special raised section on top called a monitor roof. This helps with light and air inside.
A Look at Its Long History
This factory site has a very long history of making things. In fact, Southington's first grist mill was built here in 1767. A grist mill grinds grain into flour.
The Atwater Manufacturing Company officially started in 1869. When it first opened, it made parts for carriages. Carriages were like cars before automobiles were invented. In the 1900s, the company changed what it made. It started making parts for cars instead. Today, as Rex Forge, the company still works with metal. They do custom metal forging. This means they heat and shape metal into special parts for different uses.
