New Britain herald., 1922-07-29
FORMER INDUSTRIES ON
 STREAMS OF OUR CITY

forty years ago. He vacated this shol
 about is3o, when Cyrus and Ira Stan
 ley occupied it for the manufacture o
 brass goods.
 About 1850 s. J. North X Co., hard
 ware manufacturer. owned and occu
 pied the factory by the Arch stree
 bridge and about 1888 1t was owned
 by Henry North, Frederick w
 Brocksieper for time occupied thii
 shop for the manufacture of hard
 ware. A. F. Taylor made patented
 novelties in the same shop prior te
 his removal to Stanley street about 1 1870. Jacob Wiegand carried on the ,, wood turning business there from
 1872 to 1878. The old shop wa.
 idle for some time after 1t had been
 vacated by Wiegand. For a few years
 1t was nsed as a dwelling hous.
 About thirty years ago the P. & r. Corbin Co. purchased the property
 for use as pumping station 10 sup
 >iv the Corbin plant with water.
 Deacon Elijah Hart. Jr.. born 1735,
 was the owner of two grist mills on
 this stream below the Arch street
 bridge. It Is stated in Andrews his tory that in middle life Deacon Hart built a house near the mills" but I
 find no statement as to who built these mills nor when they were built.
 Deacon Hart used these mills long prior to 1890 and they were used by
 Hart and his sons from about 1900 tc 1S2o or later, for the extensive manufacture Of corn meal for the West India trade. Daniel Taylor came here about 1908 to run Deacon Hart's mill and lived on the east side Of the mill pond. Cyprian Hart came here about 1923 and attended Dea- con Hart's mill Noah Strong came here as a miller in 1928 and lived "at the lower mill Of Harts." The upper one Of these mills was east of Ken sinRton avenue below Rentsch)er street Three sons of Deacon Hart. viz; Jonathan, Ira and Norman were clothiers by trade and carried on the cloth dressing business at the upper nni'i. Ira Hart died in 1928 after which the business was continued by Norman Hart who sold the mill to Leander Hotchkiss in September, 1850. The Hart Manufacturing Con- pany Of Kensington occupied this mill in the year 1869 for grinding carpenters squares. During an un- usual flood that year the dam was washed away, the mill carried off and the carpenters squares were scat tered along down the river.
 Harts lower mill was or the east side of the river at the junction Of Pond and Mill streets. It was so,i to Chauncey Burr in the latter part of 1850. Before this it had heer known for some time as Nott's ,.:rist Mill. In 1872 Joseph Staples was called the proprietor cf Burrs mil and in 1873 Henry Williams rf.o this mill.
 The Lock Shop Brook.
 No stream from another town flows into this brook and yet it is one of our most important strea ans, hav- ing supplied greater number of fac tories with water power than has any other stream In this town. It's main branch arises arises above Clinton street, flowing southerly on the west of Burritt street and receiving addition of pure water from what has been called Mount Pleas ant Springs" This bank after cross- ng Burritt street follows the railway 70 Main street which it formerly | crossed and flowed northeasterly into he town of Newington, where, in conjunction with the Bass River it 'orms what is called "Piper's Brook"
 The Dyson Needle Company erect I'd small shop about 1870 for the of knitting machine needles on Burritt street near Myrtle. By damming the outlet from the Mount Pleasant Springs the shop was supplied with water power The wheel thus supplied with water was 'nly a few rods from the springs. No stream in this town, or elsewhere, o far as I know, ever drove a wheel when so near its source.
 This was the last water power liant ever erected in this town. It vas in use to a later date than that f any other plant. In fact, it was or thirty-nine years the only water ower in use upon New Britain tream. The Dyson Needle Co. con- lnued to use it until about 1890 La CT it was used by William Roche and thers for driving light machinery in with brass foundry, un- Il about 1915. All that now remains f, the plant is owned by the Stanley Works. The shop was razed some ears ago and more recently the dam 'as removed.
 The water power at the Russell tS Irwin plant was established b, Stan ey Woodruff X Co., for the manutac- lre of locks. in 1893. There were sveral changes in partnership and anne until 1S46 when it became nown as Russell &; Erwin. The wa ar wheel at this plant fell into disuse fty years or more ago.
 Jesse Hart. son of Deacon Elijah ; Tart, No. 3, of grst mill fame, learn l the blacksmith trade at Hartland nd returned to New Britain in 1919. lis house was where the main part ; the City Hall now stands. At the orner of Main and West Main streets Q had a blacksmith shop where he ,rced and finished knives and forks nd other articles of hardware. His lop was supplied with water power op1 fho hrook fhe roar of hie