Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Brownell and Co. 1844-

Use (Historic)

• Textiles

Largest Documented Workforce

n/a

Historic Narrative

Edward Brownell moved from Seekonk, MA to Moodus in 1825 and began using the power of Moodus River for a variety of industrial purposes, including fulling, hose knitting and grist milling. In 1844 he built the extant frame mill for cotton-twine production. The basement held carding and drawing machines and a run of stone to grind grains for the Brownells and their millhands. In the 1870s Edward Brownell's son Charles installed the turbine which remains in the wheelpit. Charles Brownell also built the attached 2-story brick picker house, at the request of his insurance company. The success of Charles' son Crary Brownell in converting to production of synthetic twine (used mostly for fishnets) in the 1930s allowed the mill to stay open, while the rest of the dozen twine mills on the Moodus River closed [and burned down]. (Roth) Also see: Sievers, Bruce R., The History of the Cotton Industry in Moodus, Connecticut (Moodus Printing and Graphics, 1985) SHPO confirmed 6/2020 that the "upper mill" as it became known after the company purchased the Smith (or "lower") mill downstream to the west is listed on the State Register (CHC 1966). from East Haddam News 3/3/2022: The historic Brownell Upper Mill property at 423 East Haddam-Moodus Road in Moodus, consisting of five buildings set on 15.3 acres, has been sold to a company owned by two local businessmen for an undisclosed amount of money... Brownell & Company operated the last mill standing in town after two centuries of twine-making in Moodus, and the business had been manufacturing bowstrings and other products here as recently as 2019. A dozen mills once produced twine along the Moodus River using waterpower to run their machinery... A Canadian firm purchased the equipment, inventory and the company name three years ago, but not the real estate. Started and owned for more than a century by the Brownell family, the business had gone out of local control in the 1970s when it was sold to a British company. A Massachusetts man, the late Anthony Ferraz, bought it in the 1990s and ran it until he passed away in 2017... His son Thomas Ferraz is listed as the president of the company on the warranty deed for the recent sale... Bruce Sievers, who is president of the East Haddam Historical Society, said, “Among longtime Moodus residents there is a nostalgia for the town center they knew in their youth, and a sense of regret over what transpired due to decisions made by town leaders and influencers. Much of the built landscape that defined Moodus and contributed to its identity (historic town center, twine mills, summer resorts) has been lost over the past half-century or so.” Sievers, who is the author of “Mills Along the River: The History of the Cotton Industry in Moodus, CT,” added, “Yet, the Brownell Upper Mill still stands, although mostly forgotten and forlorn. This building represents the last tangible link to Moodus’s industrial past, a touchstone for so many town residents who trace their heritage to employment in the twine mills. The Brownell Upper Mill stands as a nostalgic reminder of the days when Cotton was King along the Moodus River.”... The Brownell history in Moodus dates to 1825 when Edward Brownell started a company there to sell twisted linen and nets to commercial fishermen. Brownell & Company was founded in 1844 in Moodus and manufactured cloth dressing and cotton twine products. In 1913, under the late Crary Brownell, Edward’s grandson, the company developed new products for tire cord and twisted carbon yarn. In the 1930s nylon fiber replaced cotton and Brownell partnered with DuPont to become the world’s first producer of nylon twines and netting. In the 1920s Brownell began making bowstrings. The lower Brownell mill set on two acres was sold off in 2016 and is being used by a local business.

Number of Existing Buildings

Three (3) blocks.

Dates of Construction

1844, c.1870s, c.1940

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The 80' x 35' wood mill, 2 1/2-story with basement, has a gable roof and central stair tower. The attached 2-story brick picker house (about 40' x 30') dates to c.1870s. (Roth)

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

n/a

Roof Form

• Gable

Roof Material

n/a

Power Source

• Water (Wheel)

Condition

n/a

Condition Notes

n/a

Specific Location

One 15.3 acre parcel on the north side of East Haddam Moodus Road just west of intersection with Plains Road

Adjacent To

n/a

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• M64/ / L049 / Link →

Acreage

15.3

Use (Present)

• Other: Purchased 1/2022 by Brownell Properties LLC as investment.
• Vacant

Form Completed By

n/a

Date

n/a

Bibliography

1. Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
2. State Register Nomination on file at SHPO, Hartford CT (to be confirmed as to building)