The Saxony Mill was a historic
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 at 66 West Street in
Rockville section of
Vernon, Connecticut
Vernon is the most populous town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 30,215 at the 2020 census. Vernon contains the smaller villages of Talcottville and Dobsonville. Vernon contains the former City of Rockville.
...
. With a construction history dating to 1836, it was one of the oldest surviving wood-frame textile mills in the state prior to a 1994 fire which led to its demolition. The mill complex was added to 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 ...
in 1983.
Description and history
The Saxony Mill complex stood at the western end of Rockville's industrial area, occupying the lowest water privilege in the town on the
Hockanum River
The Hockanum River is a river in Connecticut. Hockanum is derived from the Native American Podunk people Algonquin language word meaning "hook-shaped", so named because of the course of the river. The Hockanum neighborhood in East Hartford is na ...
. It was located at the western end of West Main Street, at its junction with West Street. The site is now a public park. The mill consisted of seven connected structures, most of brick and masonry, built between 1836 and the 1970s. The main (original) mill building was a -story wood-frame structure with a distinctive five-story bell tower rising from the center of its front facade. The remaining structures, all built with load-bearing masonry walls, were added after c. 1870.
The oldest portion of the mill, the northern section of the main building, was built in 1836. The Saxony Mill Company was founded in 1838 as a joint-stock company organized by that mill's proprietors. The mill at first produced
satinet Satinet is a finely woven fabric with a finish resembling satin, but made partly or wholly from cotton or synthetic fiber.
The fibers may be natural (as with cotton, woolens or cashmere wool) or synthetic.
In the United States of America
The pro ...
, a woolen material developed as a less-expensive alternative to fine woolens which were then only available from England. The mill went through a series of owners who used the complex in different aspects of textile production until 1951, when most of Rockville's mills were closed. The main mill was enlarged in 1861, and various additions were made in the early decades of the 20th century.
[ Most recently operated by Plastifoam, a suspicious fire on July 25, 1994, did extensive damage to the then-vacant building and surrounding buildings, and disrupted power to thousands of people. The remaining structure was demolished a short time later. The site is now a municipal park.]
See also
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References
{{National Register of Historic Places
Greek Revival architecture in Connecticut
Industrial buildings completed in 1836
Vernon, Connecticut
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Buildings and structures in Tolland County, Connecticut
Demolished buildings and structures in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut
Woollen mills
Textile mills in the United States
Buildings and structures demolished in 1994