The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1904-05-11
CONTINUED from last weekly
AN EVENING WITH HISTORY OF
STAFFORD.
The .ManufactorieS.


blast was made there in February,
1912: Superintendent, John Pinney /;
foreman. Capt. Seth Washburn; as
sistant. Marcus Rowland, Washburn !;
firemep, James Dormalf, Plimpton
Marcy; gutter man, Samuel Young !;
moulders, Zenas Darling Washburn,
George Washington Washburn, Abner
Ferry, Orrin Fosket, Hiram Converse,
Abner Holmes, Ezra Holmes; tro-
piers, Josiah Converse. Smith W.
Page, Elijah Edison, Erastus Roth !;
blacksrniths, Sidney Smith, Frederick
Smith; pattern maker, Lawrence
Crawford.
Stafford from it's earliest history
has been noted for it's manufacturing
industries. The earliest of all me-
chanical movements was that of the
grain mills, often spoken of as grist
mills. A careful survey of the streams
about town will show the ruins, or
old-time sites, of grist mills to the
number of upwards of twenty. About
the first known mill was that of David
Orcutt, located near where the Will
liams blacksmith shop stands on Fur
mace avenue, in the Springs village.
David Orcutt was among the first set
tiers to come to town from Bridge
water, Mass. He located a mill on
the east branch of the Willimantic
viz 1a
came down the hill in the rear of the
Central Woolen company mills and
crossed the river above Orcutts' mill,
and continued up the hill in rear of
Il. Engley. This mill was in opera
tion about 1910. An old mill of
great elevation of dam and hence
wealth of power was located above
the Staffordville reservoir, on the
Wales road. No record of this mill
can be obtained, but that it was of
mach consequence is evidenced by the
distance the water was conveyed and
the great fall obtained. Below this
min was the saw and grist mill of
the Dilworths, located just above the
waters in the Staffordville reservoir.
There was another mill once located
in the woods near where the water
empties from the reservoir above Ce-
dar swamp. This, too. has passed be-
yond the records and knowledge of
any person now living. The streams
..1,n~,o yNost C+o fford Sb0xu MANY mill
|sites and ruins of mill dams long
since gone to destruction. The saw
mill at Orcuttville was one of the
first to be put into operation after Da-
vid Orcutt started at the Springs. A
saw and grist mill once occupied the
site of the Foxville mill, and Aaron
Parkess, about 1915, had saw mill
and grist mill and forge just above
the old Mineral Springs mill, near
the mill dam of the mill now ON that
stream.
One of the advanced industries of
the age was the wood turning mill Of
Ephraim Bolton, located near the
Stafford and Union line, few rods
northeast of the residence of Wesley
Bradway. Here Mr.. Bolton carried
on quite an extensive business, and
many family of the older genera
tions in town and vicinity had in use
plates, spoons, mortars and other
household implements made from the
hard woods by Mr.. Bolton and his
f17rr lot %hn ipl
operation about the opening of 1900
and continued for some thirty years,
and wide distribution of the pro-
ducts took place. Mr.. Bolton died
near where his mill stood, and COM
paratively poor, misfortune overtak-
ing him in his old age. Another
turning establishment was that of
Amos Heald, located about where the
mill of the late E. @. Dennis now
stands. Mr.. Heald came to town
about 1888 and erected a mill for
manufacturing hammer, axe and other
handles by process of eccentric turn
ing devised by himself. For several
years he maintained a successful and
valuable business. His machine for
irregular or eccentric turning attract
ed considerable attention, and it's val
liable qualities and possibilities we're
soon made use of by piratical manu-
facturers, without leave or license
from the inventor. Protracted liti--
CATION to maintain his just rights re-
suited in the loss of the plant and a
large tract of land, covering nearly
one-fourth of the Springs village.
The property was purchased by Geo.
M. Ives and HI. Converse, and prepa-
ration made to build a furnace and
start the iron foundry business. Be-
fore completing the preparation Hen
ry CLARK bought the privilege and
erected q grist mill, which was sold
to the late E. 9. Dennis in 1868.
The first cotton mill in town was
erected about 1915 by Alvan Hyde
and Nathaniel Hyde, and located at
Staffordyille, just below the present
Home mill. The mill did not prove
success, and after several attempts
to make it pay the project was aban-
doned and machine shop continued
while in the building. Later the
building was in part removed to lot
on the side hill and converted into a
tenement house, and now stands lit
tie north of Mr.. Loomer's store, the
other portion being the two-story
house owned by. Silk brothers.
Still another wood turning industry
in the town was that established near
where the Rawitser upper mill now
stands at Staffordville, or, as it is
frequently called by old residents,
TuckeryiIIe. Somewhere about 1920
a Mr.. Tucker had wood turning
mill ON that stream, and near where
the cid mill-dam ruins are, above the
= II