What We are Learning

We are discovering that even though the Pomperaug Valley is a small region (only 90 square miles) that in the end didn't amount to much as far as industry is concerned (for which we are grateful), there is nevertheless an incredible wealth of documentary information and physical remains. We are finding that family relationships are key in untangling ownership chains, at least in the smaller places, and that our towns were tied through their industries to much farther- reaching economies and social systems. Because there is so much information, we are using two approaches: One, we are developing a broad overview of what was here, looking for as many references to mills and factories as we can find. These are being compiled into a database. Second, we are going to focus on just a few sites to study in depth. These sites have both physical remains - buildings or foundations or dams - and documentary evidence. We will try to find out everything we can to understand the sites and their relationships to the towns, their use of the water resources, and their effect on the natural history of our area.

We will be looking at sites that are subsistence economy models, where the water flow tended to be seasonal, and the workers and the products were locally based, and market economy models, where the workforce was hired for full-time, year-round labor, the products were shipped out of the local area, and the businesses were funded by shareholders, rather than individuals.

We suspect, however, that what we will find will be a more complex arrangement of relationships, both economic and social.

Tour of South Britain

October 18, 2008: On behalf of the Southbury Historical Society and the PRWC, Hugh Sullivan led a group of about 50 on a tour of the South Britain canal and Hawkins Factory. The tour was a fascinating walk along the remains of the canal and past the factory. Participants were able to observe the old iron sluiceway, the foundations of the Platt saw and grist mill, and other remnants of the industry that fueled this little hamlet. Later, Diantha Schull and John Dwyer led some on an architectural tour of South Britain itself, pointing out architectural styles and points of interest.

This photograph, courtesy of the Southbury Historical Society, one of the partner organizations of the Pomperaug Plantation History Project helps illustrate what happens to landscape over time...



Compare it to how the area looks today. It's hard not to romanticize the past, but each of these photographs reflects the economic reality of its time.

Learning to Read the Landscape

There is a wealth of information buried throughout the town's records, as there is in the land itself. An almost at random decision to try to locate the site of a mill shown on the 1853 map of Woodbury in the Town Clerk's office led me to this site that with its stone work hints of a possible former industrial use. The 1853 map says merely "mill". A search through the land records suggests that perhaps Wait Leavenworth owned this mill in 1853. Unanswered so far are the questions of what was being milled here? Who ran the mill? How long was it in operation? When did it stop, and when were the buildings supporting it torn down?

As we progress through the history process, we have to learn how to read the landscape and decipher the tantilizing clues scattered throughout the woods. Was this apparent ditch a sluice serving the mill operation? As we discover more about this site and how it was used, I will provide updates. We are using it as a test site for learning how to use a combination of the physical sites and documentary evidence to uncover the Hidden Industrial History of our little corner of paradise.

The larger questions we will be asking of the landscape are questions about how human activity has altered the flow and nature of the water in our area. What have those changes meant? To our modern eyes, the landscape has a changeless quality to it with its rocks and trees. One doesn't have to go far from the center of town to feel removed from modern traffic and concerns. But the uses to which the land was put in the past may prove to have significant implications for us in the present. What impact do those activities of the distant past have on erosion, or water quality, or even water quantity today? How do we use the past to learn how to be good stewards of the natural resources we have today? If we learn that there were a small myriad of dams throughout our area, will we also learn that we have gained - or lost - in the process?

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