The Hilliard Mills - Structures

Structures

Many different buildings were constructed on the site during the past 300 plus years.

Current Structures

Building #1: Was constructed in 1925 by the H.W. Lines Company. It was designed by Charles T. Main of New York. The front facade is in the Art Deco Style, while the other three sides are classic New England Mill in design. The 1925 cost of the building was $151,421. It is one of the oldest examples of Art Deco architecture in Connecticut. At three floors and about 50,000 total square feet, this is the largest building at the site, made of brick, steel and heavy timbers. Building #1 is connected to Building #2.

Building #2: Was constructed in 1895. At four stories and 30,000 square feet, it is the largest timber frame building in Connecticut. The main beams are almost all made of Longleaf pine, with some over 40' long.

Building #3: Was built in two phases, the south 50' by 40' portion was constructed in 1882 as an addition to Building #6and the north portion of 50' was added in 1905. At two stories and 8,000 total square feet, Building #3 is in the brick and timber style.

Building #4: Was built as the dye house for the site in the mid-1800s. The current building was built in two phases, 1902 and 1923. The original brick floor is still visible. This building has a clearstory, making it unique in design at the site. It is one story and 6,500 square feet.

Building #5: Was built as an office add-on around 1890 and is connected to Building #6. It is styled in the Queen Anne Victorian motif, and is less than 1,000 square feet in size.

Building #6: Around 1780 Buckland built his carding mill along the Bigelow Brook. Originally roughly 18' by 30', this structure largely burned in 1833. Only the first floor beams and basement remain from this era. In 1833-34, this section was rebuilt and a 50' by 32' three story addition was added to the structure to the north, made of hand-hewn chestnut beams. Around 1860 a 30' addition facing north was added, constructed of hand-hewn oak timbers. Other softwood additions were made in the late 1800s, which were removed in 2009 and 2010. Building 6 at 10,000 square feet and three stories is currently configured how it was during the Civil War and is in the Greek Revival Style.

Original Dam: The original earthen and granite dam is still visible to the south of Building #6. It was damaged by floods in 1869, 1909 and 1938. The portion across the brook is gone, but the granite stones still can be seen along the brook.

Former Structures

John Allen's Sawmill: Constructed in the 1670s, nothing remains of those original buildings.

Boiler House: Originally the boiler house for the mill was constructed mid-1800s, and was removed in 1995. Some of the boiler house wall is still visible in Building #4.

Building #7: This building was built in two major steps. A smaller one story addition was added around 1880 and subsequently two more stories were added in 1907. The building was heavily damaged in the flood of 1909. This building was removed in 2009 for safety reasons, but the beams, bricks and flooring were recycled. The flooring from the third floor can be seen at the loom exhibit at the Manchester Historical Society on Pine Street.

Building #8: Was originally a stand-alone building along the Bigelow Brook. Built in 1892 of brick and heavy timbers, the building suffered damage both in the 1909 flood and improper modifications in the 1970s. This building was removed in 2009.

Building #9: This barn like building was built around 1900 and was removed around 1997.

Wool Barn: The wool barn once stood where Building #1 is today and was removed in 1925.

Chimney: The great square Hilliard Mills chimney once stood at an impressive 107 feet tall. The upper 60 feet were removed in 1995 and the ruins were cleared in 2008.

Hilliard's Pond and Dam: A large concrete dam was created south of West Middle Turnpike. A large riveted pipe over 1000' in length lead from the dam to Building #6 to power the turbine. The dam was intentionally breached in 1978, but the ruins are still visible to the rear of the Bigelow Brook Estates Condominiums.

Water Tower: Constructed in 1925 by Chicago Steel, the 50,000 gallon tank used to feed the sprinkler system at the site. This tower was scrapped and removed in 1995

Horizontal Turbine, Penstock and Mill Raceway: The penstock started from Hilliard's Pond and led all the way under Building #6 to a horizontal turbine. The turbine is still in place at the site, but is buried as of July 2012. The raceway has been largely filled in between the turbine and Building #1.