Mill Record Chester
RETURN TO ‘FIND MILLS’Disclaimer: Content for these properties was compiled in 2014-2017 from a variety of sources and is subject to change. Updates are occasionally made under Property Information, however the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation (dba Preservation Connecticut) makes no representation or warranty that the information is complete or up-to-date.
- Complex Name (Common)
- Gladding Brush
- Complex Name (Historic)
-
- Gladding Brush
- Address or Location
- 129 West Main Street, Chester
- County
- Middlesex
- Historic Designation
- Associated Mill Community
- n/a
What can you do at this mill?
- Historic Information
Companies Associated w/Complex
- Gladding Brush c.1861-1960s
- Rogers Brush 1859-c.1861
Use (Historic)
Largest Documented Workforce
n/a
Historic Narrative
A succession of users occupied this water privilege before C. B. Rogers built this mill for making brushes in 1859. Rogers lasted but two years, then George and Calvin Gladding bought the business. The Gladding family made brushes here until the 1960s. The Gladdings installed a turbine (maker unknown) and c.1920 direct current generator (L. J. Land Co.), which remain in place; the dam and penstock also survive. The mill has been a restaurant since 1973; three wings have been added and the exterior has been painted orange. In the main dining room, however, which occupies the mill building, the line shafting, jack shafts, hanger bearings, belts and pulleys that ran the brush-making machinery remain in place. The basement bar is a former bench for a brush-winding lathe, with peg holes for mounting chucks and tying-off pins. The owner of the restaurant has installed a small steam engine in the lounge. The single-cylinder, vertical engine, built c.1900 by the Middletown (Ohio) Machine Co., is operable but is not run. (Roth)
- Architectural Information
Number of Existing Buildings
One (1) primary block.
Dates of Construction
1859 with modern additions
Architect
n/a
Builder
n/a
Building Type
Architectural Description
The 1859 1 1/2-story, 60' x 25' frame mill has a gable roof with cupola. (Roth)
Exterior Material(s)
Structural System(s)
Roof Form
Roof Material
n/a
Power Source
Condition
n/a
Condition Notes
n/a
- Property Information
-
Specific Location
One 3.9 acre parcel on the south side of West Main Street on Pattaconk Brook east of route 9
Adjacent To
Exterior Visible from Public Road?
Yes
Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link
- 13-12 / Link →
Acreage
3.9
Use (Present)
- Sources
-
Form Completed By
n/a
Date
n/a
Bibliography
- Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
- State Register nomination on file at SHPO archives, Hartford, CT.
- Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file
-
Photographer
n/a
Photography Date
n/a
