The Graniteville Historic District is a mainly residential
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
in
Waterford, Connecticut
Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,571 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) and had a population of 3,074 ...
. It is ranged along Rope Ferry Road, near granite quarries that were once a major industry in the town. Most of the 31 historical buildings in the district are plain residences occupied by quarry workers; also included are the c. 1878 Graniteville School at 239 Rope Ferry Road, and the house of John Palmer, one of the proprietors of the quarries, at 218 Rope Ferry Road. His house, a c. 1860 Italianate updating of an older house, is the most elaborate house in the district.
The district was 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 2003.
[
]
Description and history
Waterford was settled in the 17th century, and was part of New London
New London may refer to:
Places United States
*New London, Alabama
*New London, Connecticut
*New London, Indiana
*New London, Iowa
* New London, Maryland
*New London, Minnesota
*New London, Missouri
*New London, New Hampshire, a New England town
* ...
until 1801. Its industrial history as a granite quarrying locale began as early as 1737, when Edward Buor began quarrying stones for use in grist mills. The site of his quarry, which operated into the mid-20th century, became known as Millstone Point, and is where the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant
The Millstone Nuclear Power Station is the only nuclear power plant in Connecticut and the only multi unit nuclear plant in New England. It is located at a former quarry (from which it takes its name) in Waterford.
With a total capacity of over 2 ...
is now located. Granite quarrying became a larger business in the 19th century, and was the town's largest non-agricultural industry. The Graniteville community arose in the 1840s and 1850s as a cluster of housing for quarry workers along Rope Ferry Road, which was then the major east-west road between New London and Lyme.[
The historic district consists of three discontiguous sections. Two of these are abandoned quarries, located west and northwest of the built village. The latter extends along Rope Ferry Road roughly from Spithead Road to Gardiners Wood Road. Most of the houses are architecturally vernacular expressions of the Greek Revival, with the house of John Palmer its most distinctive example of the Italianate style. The Graniteville School is also Italianate, and there are several example of Carpenter Gothic architecture, including in the barn at 227 Rope Ferry Road.][
]
See also
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Historic districts in New London County, Connecticut
Waterford, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut