Cargill Falls Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cargill Falls Mill
(Wilkinson Mill) |
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 52-58 Pomfret St., Putnam, Connecticut |
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| Area | 7.5 acres (3.0 ha) |
| Built | 1806 |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000435 |
| Added to NRHP | July 29, 2014 |
The Cargill Falls Mill, also known as the Wilkinson Mill, is a really old building complex in Putnam, Connecticut. It's a special place because it was once a busy factory where people made cloth.
This mill started way back in 1806. That makes it one of the oldest factory sites in Connecticut! You can still see buildings there that show how factories were built over 175 years ago. Because it's so important to history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Exploring the Cargill Falls Mill
The Cargill Falls Mill is located right across the Quinebaug River from downtown Putnam. It sits on a piece of land that sticks out into the river. The whole area, including all the buildings, is about 7.5 acres big.
This mill complex has twenty buildings that are all connected. They were all used for making textiles, which is another word for cloth or fabric. The buildings are different sizes and heights. The tallest one is five stories high!
Most of the buildings are made of brick. Inside, they have strong wooden frames. There's also one building made of rough stone and another made of wood. The oldest building on the site was built in 1824. The newest main buildings were built in 1950.
How the Mill Began: A Look Back in Time
The Quinebaug River here has a drop of about 30 feet. This drop was perfect for powering early machines. Even before the Cargill Falls Mill, there were other small factories here. They used the river to power mills that ground grain, cut wood, and prepared wool.
In 1806, some business people from Rhode Island decided to build a new factory. One of these investors was Oziel Wilkinson. He was the father-in-law of Samuel Slater, who was famous for building the first successful cotton mill in America.
They started a company called the Pomfret Manufacturing Company. They built a four-story wooden mill building on this spot. The foundation of that first building is still used today! This new mill was built just like Slater's famous mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It made cotton thread.
The mill brought many jobs and people to the area. Because of this growth, the town of Putnam was officially created in 1855. It was formed from parts of nearby towns like Pomfret, Killingly, and Thompson.
