Somersville Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Somersville Historic District
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Ye Olde Blacksmith
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly, along Main, Maple and School Sts., Pinney and Shaker Rd. and Quality Ave., Somers, Connecticut |
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| Area | 155 acres (63 ha) |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Greek Revival, Post-Medieval English |
| NRHP reference No. | 95000401 |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1995 |
The Somersville Historic District is a special area in western Somers, Connecticut. It includes many old buildings and places that were once part of the Somersville mill village. This historic district is built around a large factory, called a mill, which was located on the Scantic River.
The most important time for the village's growth was between 1835 and 1935. However, some buildings in the area are even older, dating back to the 1760s! This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The original mill building burned down, and by 2018, it was an open field. But you can still see parts of the old canal that helped power the mill.
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What is the Somersville Historic District?
The town of Somers was first settled in the 1600s. It became its own town in 1739. The area that grew into Somersville village started around a sawmill and a gristmill. These mills used the power of the Scantic River to cut wood and grind grain. For a long time, Somersville was just a small farming village.
How the Mill Village Grew
Things changed in 1835 when a company called Spencer & Chaffee started using the river's power to make textiles. Textiles are fabrics like cloth. Later, in 1853, Holmes & Reynolds bought the business. They made the mill much bigger. The mill kept working through the American Civil War, making a type of fabric called satinet.
A few years after the war, the mill closed. But in 1879, the Somersville Manufacturing Company bought it. They built a new, large brick building with three stories. Over the next few decades, they made the factory even more modern.
Homes for Mill Workers
The Somersville Manufacturing Company also built many homes for its workers. Starting around 1885, they built lots of houses. Some were for single families, and many were larger buildings with several apartments. These homes are still standing today and are an important part of the historic district.
Exploring the Historic District
The Somersville Historic District has a shape like the letter "T". The bottom part of the "T" follows Maple Street, with the old mill area in the middle. At the top of Maple Street, it meets Main Street (Connecticut Route 190). Main Street forms the top bar of the "T". It stretches west from Maple Street and a little bit east, past School Street. The section of School Street between Main and Maple Streets is also part of the district.
Most of the buildings in the district are homes. They were built for the mill workers and show a simple, practical style. However, you can also find a few houses that are much older, from the 1700s. The district also includes old shops from the 1800s, two churches, and a school building. It's like a living museum that shows how a mill village used to look and feel!
