The Mansfield Hollow Historic District encompasses the remnants of a modest 19th-century industrial village on Mansfield Hollow Road in

Mansfield, Connecticut Mansfield is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 25,892 at the 2020 census. Pequot and Mohegan people lived in this region for centuries before the arrival of English settler-immigrants in the late 17th cen ...

. Originally industrialized with saw and grist mills, a silk mill was added in 1838, when its most significant growth began. The surviving stone mill was built in 1882, and there are a number of nearby houses dating to the industrial period. 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 ...

in 1979.

Description and history

The central Connecticut town of Mansfield, now best known as the home of the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

at Storrs, supported a number of small industrial villages in the 19th century. Mansfield Hollow, located south of Mansfield Center, is one of the places where industry flourished, on the north bank of the

Natchaug River The Natchaug River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in Windham and Tolland Counties in northeastern Connecticut. The name ''Natchaug'' comes from ...

, now a short way west of Mansfield Hollow State Park. This area's industrial history began in the 18th century, when Barzillai Swift acquired a water privilege, and established saw and grist mills. His sons George and Fearing continued the business, and also leased part of the privilege to Oliver Bingham. The houses of all three of these men survive in the area today. In 1838 Zalman Storrs established a silk mill, which marked the beginning of textile development and the construction of housing for workers. The silk mill ran for a number of years under several owners, until 1882, when Marcus Johnson built the surviving stone mill for finishing cotton thread. In 1902 it was sold to George Kirby (for whom it is now colloquially known as "Kirby's Mill"), who manufactured brass items until after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The district extends mainly along Mansfield Hollow Road and Mansfield Hollow Road Extension, and its visual focus is the 1882 stone mill, with its prominent tower. and The district also includes a collection of residential buildings (between 86 and 127 Mansfield Hollow Road), most which are historically significant. Notable among them are the Fearing Swift House, 103 Mansfield Hollow Road, built in 1815, the George Swift House, 100 Mansfield Hollow Road, built in 1804, and the Oliver Bingham House, 88 Mansfield Hollow Road, probably the oldest house in the district (built 1800).

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Mansfield, Connecticut Historic districts in Tolland County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References