The Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Mills were once one of the largest manufacturers of
carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...
ing in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The company's early 20th-century factories, located in
Thompsonville, Connecticut
Thompsonville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Enfield in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population of the CDP was 8,577 at the 2010 census.
History
Thompsonville was established in the 19th century as a carpet- ...
, were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1983.
Used by a succession of carpet makers until the 1960s, the company complex has for the most part been converted to residential use.
Description and history
The Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Mills complex stands in the Thompsonville area of western
Enfield, Connecticut
Enfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, first settled by John and Robert Pease of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The population was 42,141 at the 2020 census. It is bordered by Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and East Longm ...
, separated from the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
by a railroad right-of-way. On nearly of land stand seven large brick buildings, dating from about 1895 to 1928, the height of the company's operations in Thompsonville. Buildings range in height between one and four floors, and are built in a vernacular industrial Italianate style. The largest building, the 1901 Tapestry Mill, is nearly long.
The Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Company had its origins in a carpet manufacturing business established in Thompsonville by Orrin Thompson in 1828. Through the 19th century and into the early 20th century, it grew to become the nation's single biggest maker of carpet products. Built in part by mergers with other makers, it produced virtually every style of carpeting imaginable, and was thus able to achieve a dominant position in the industry. Demand for the company's products began to decline in the Great Depression, and the company reduced operations through the 1950s, finally closing production here entirely in the mid-1960s.
[ During its period of growth, the company built a significant amount of worker housing in the areas north and east of the plant; these are the major portion of the Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Mills Historic District.
]
See also
*
Archives and records
Bigelow & Sanford Carpet Company records
at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut
Buildings and structures completed in 1895
Buildings and structures in Hartford County, Connecticut
Enfield, Connecticut
Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut