Minterburn Mill is a former
textile mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
complex located at 215 East Main Street, in the
Rockville village of
Vernon, Connecticut. Developed beginning in 1834, it was the first place in Rockville to be developed industrially, and the surviving buildings provide a view of evolutionary changes in mill architecture. The mill 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 1984.
It was converted into an apartment complex in 2016 by the state.
Description and history
The Minterburn Mill complex is located in the northeast corner of Vernon, roughly at the point where the
Hockanum River, the historic source of the mill's power, enters the town. It is a complex of four buildings and a concrete dam, built between 1834 and 1906. The main building, originally the Rockville Warp Building, is a large stone structure, 3-1/2 stories in height, which was built in 1834, and is a well-preserved Greek Revival structure. Building 2, the Minterburn Mill, is a four-story structure built in 1906 that is one of the earliest uses of reinforced concrete in an industrial setting.
[ and ]
The site's industrial history dates to at least the 18th century, when an iron works and a gin distillery were documented at the site. In the late 18th century George Hall established a fulling mill. Rockville's first
textile mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
was built downstream in 1821, and its proprietors purchased Hall's water privilege and land in 1834. The Rockville Warp Building dates to this time; the proprietors also built a stone dam, which was later replaced by the present concrete dam. The mill produced cotton warps used for yarn and satinet production in a number of Rockville's mills. In 1906, the plant was purchased by the Minterburn Mills, which built the new dam and Building 2. That company produced woolen and worsted fabrics until it closed in 1952. The plant was then bought by Roosevelt Mills, which produced knitwear at least into the 1970s.
See also
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References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Vernon, Connecticut
Greek Revival architecture in Connecticut
Industrial buildings completed in 1834
National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut