Norwich bulletin., 1909-12-17
Prosperous Community.

| The fine weather mas been most favorable for building operations in Taftville and all have gone forward ] with marked rapidity. The largest job is that of the Ponemah companys new | 7O0x2OO weave shed and here all is &C., | tivity. although now that the concrete
 roof work has been completed force of 175 men has been laid up. The
 work on the coal pocket and trestie is 1 now being carried on, the concrete re- | taining walls being put in as fast as
 possible. The big 100 foot chimney is rising skyward at a commendable rate, being about three quarters up. i The weave shed proper is receiving the attention of the roofers on the outside and of the carpenters within, the in- termediate floor being laid on the i've inch planking and the windows being put in
 The new reservoir for the increasing needs of the village is also proceeding satisfactorily. while the contractor is still working on foundations for more : tenement houses on Norwich avenue. In the village eleven new tenement houses, providing accommodations for y-four families, have been practi- ] cally completed and it is expected that some of them will be occupied before ! long.
 1 At the lower end of the new village the J. B. Martin Velvet company's ad
 ditions are coming along rapidly, while number of new houses are in process 1 of construction.
 The boiler room remains to be built, which will also contain the heating boilers, and after the weave shed is we'll dried out the finishing floor will be laid. The automatic fire extinguish- ing system is being installed.
 When TaftviIIe Was Young.
 H. V. Arnold writes of the starting of Taftville village and mill in the fol- lowing interesting manner:
 In 1868, about which time the be- ginning of the work that was to create another factory village on the She tucket river was taken in hand, the site of the main portion Of the place was worn-out farm. The Shetucket river at this place has a southerly course. Up stream, some rocky and wooded hills approach near to the river, and also recede back so as to form, as they circle around toward the river again, a sort of embayment or amphl- theater within which the first of the factory tenement houses were erected. I first became acquainted with the place in the midst of it's constructive stage. which was in the spring of 1871, and I took part in the work in progress until that year had closed.
 At that time a substantial dam had already been constructed; also the body part to a large brick cotton mill, 75 by 750 feet, and five stories high, had been erected with mansard roof and two tall towers in front in which were the stairways. The mill extend ed north and south on a high flood plain or rather terrace along the river, and directly in front of it the ground sloped gently upward to a plain. dozen or more feet higher, enclosed by the partially wooded hills around it. A roadway led west from the font of the mill and up over sag in the hills; on either side of this roadway about twenty two-family wooden tenement houses had already been erected. This formed the main street of the village. North and south, and parallel with this main village street, two others had been laid out, with perhaps six tene- ment houses on one side of the arc, the extent of the village in April, 1871.
 Meeting Early Conditions.
 The underplank flooring to each story of the mill had been laid but no great amount of the Georgia pine top- flooring then covered these plank un- der floors. Most of the tenements were occupied by laborers and their families. yet several were still vacant and sun- llLAcltCu In0lACs NCA td1H tllAilSS Aldu lO be adapted to existing conditions. First, a village store was wanted. An unfinished tenement house was con- verted into store as to one-half of it and meat market was fitted up in the other part of 1t. Again, a place was needed for religious services on Sundays and for school room week days during the season of school keep ing. As in the other case, the half of an unfinished two-family tenement house on the south side of the village was utilized in that way, it being fitted up with a teachers desk and ordinary school benches and desks. Occasionally ly Congregational minister came on Sabbaths, and later regular services were held. During the year Evangelist Potter visited the place, and there came also E. H. Pratt of Pomfret, Conn, temperance lecturer of the time.
 Thirty Carpenters.
 The carpentry gang that season con- sisted of about thirty hands, under an elderly boss named Austin, who was of Pawtucket, R. I. David Tracy of Wauregan was foreman. The men att tended to variety of work. There was the top flooring of the stories of the mill to lay and get ready for plac- ing the machinery which was arriving during spring, summer and fall; there