Burlington's Manufacturing Heritage along the Winooski River by Chris Witman

Burlington's Manufacturing Heritage along the Winooski River

By Chris Witman

History Overview

The Winooski River that separates Burlington and Winooski, Vermont had provided many industries over the years with the energy they needed to power each respective mill. The manufacturing examples that will be looked at in this section are all on the Burlington side of the Winooski River. This relatively small section of land that is between the river and what is now Chase Street has seen from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century relatively large alterations to the built environment. These dramatic alterations in the location that is given didn't always come from the willingness of the owners and operators of the mills. They came mostly from natural disasters like floods or fires that would start in one mill and spread to the neighboring properties.

This small northeastern area of Burlington has seen important locally significant manufacturing companies run by such entrepreneurs as Guy and Moses Catlin, Alfred and Dan Day, William Vilas, and Morillo Noyes. It has witnessed the rise and fall of the short-lived Winooski Patent Block Manufacturing Company; with the help of its innovative machinery it could have challenged any ship block industry in America during the mid-19th century. Over time, an area of many small mills had turned into an area that is controlled by mainly one. This one mill, the Chace Mill, is the only one left on the Burlington side that used the energy from the Winooski River. The Chace Mill stands over almost all other traces of the milling history in this area of Burlington, but the site's history tells a story of creative and visionary people and their drive to harness the powerful but dangerous forces of the Winooski River.

Although the Chace Mill is the only one left standing in the area that will be studied, knowledge of past milling endeavors must be looked at to fully understand the history of this site. One must first start with the two men who first had a hand in the creation of the manufacturing history in this area and their mills. Guy Catlin and his brother Moses Catlin were the dominant figures in this part of Burlington during the early parts of the 19th century. Moses Catlin was originally from Litchfield, Connecticut. He was the husband of Lucinda Allen, a relative of Ira Allen. Moses Catlin's wife sued Ira over a land dispute that started after the death of her father. Out of the lawsuit, Lucinda and Moses Catlin acquired the land around the "Onion River" (which is now called the Winooski River), plus $46,847.80 dollars, thanks to a decision by the federal courts.¹ Moses Catlin and his wife moved to Burlington shortly after to take advantage of Lucinda's inheritance. Moses's brother, Guy Catlin, followed the couple and started a grist mill with Moses that was in operation around 1812.²

In the mid-19th century, Winooski, Vermont was home to some of the state's largest and most innovative manufacturing companies. Located just north of Burlington (and part of the town of Colchester until being incorporated as a separate city in 1922), Winooski offered mill owners ample land, railroad access, and most importantly, water power from the Winooski River. Together, the mills and factories on both sides of Winooski Falls helped to shape Vermont's industrial heritage.

Notes (Overview)

1. John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, and Ralph H. Orth, Vermont Encyclopedia (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2003), 79. 2. "Winooski Falls," Burlington Free Press, April 8, 1859, accessed at http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Area Timeline

Timeline of Manufacturing

1812 – Flour production started at the grist mill located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1814 – Yarn production started at the satinet factory and around 1836 worked with merino wool around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1814 – Paper production started at the paper mill located on Mill Street around where the Chace Mill is today.
1818 – Linseed oil production started at the oil mill located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1820 – White pine lumber production was started around this date at a saw mill around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1830 – Flood destroyed the grist mill located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1832 – Vacancy, the paper mill around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1834 – Construction was started on a new grist mill that is shown in the John Johnson collection at University of Vermont Special Collections. It was located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1836 – Ship block production started at the block factory around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1837 – Plaster of paris production possibly started at this time at a plaster mill located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1838 – Fire destroyed the statinet factory around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1838 – Fire destroyed the saw mill around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1838 – Fire destroyed the vacant paper mill around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1838 – Fire destroyed the block factory around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1846 – Vacancy, the oil mill located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1846 – Cotton material production started at the now vacant oil mill, located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1852 – Fire is the probable cause of the destruction of the plaster mill around this time. It was located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1852 – Fire destroyed the oil mill, now being used by the Winooski Mill Company. It was located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1852 – Construction started on a new cotton mill building around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1859 – Fire destroyed the grist mill, located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1859 – Construction started on a new grist mill located at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1891 – Fire destroyed the cotton mill around 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1891 – Construction started on what is called the Chase Mill on 1 Mill Street, Burlington.
1926 – Vacancy, the grist mill at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.
1926 – Vacancy, the Chace Mill on 1 Mill Street in Burlington.
1927 – Flood destroyed the grist mill at Winooski Falls to the left of the Winooski Bridge on the Burlington side.

Grist Mill History

What is known about the first grist mill from 1812 that Moses and Guy Catlin owned, is that a 1820s manufacturing census states that there were five men working in the grist mill at $400 dollars a year.¹ The location of the original site today is just downstream of the lower dam on the Burlington side of the Winooski River between the bridge and the corner of Riverside Avenue and Colchester Avenue. Here one can still see part of a foundation that was part of a later grist mill. After a disaster a new grist mill was built on top of the old foundation of the original mill. When the first grist mill was built, the dam was located farther upstream. Guy and Moses would have studied the water and designed their mill in a way that could maximize the power of the Winooski River. This was done by finding out what was called the "head" and "fall". The head is the distance that water drops before it hits the wheel, and the fall is the action of the water turning the water wheel. The larger these distances are, a greater amount of energy could be created. The water would be channeled out of the river using a flume; this would allow the workers to control the flow of water. It's hard to say what kind of wheels were used at this site but different wheels had better efficiency. The overshot wheel was the best, reaching 75% efficiency.² Pictures show that the wheel was probably inside the main exterior wall. The Catlin brother's first mill, which was made out of a stone foundation with brick for its three upper floors, was susceptible to floods considering its location. In 1830 the Winooski River flooded and wiped out the mill.³

In the University of Vermont's Special Collections, in the John Johnson Papers, there is a description from 1834 of the second grist mill that the Catlin's built after the flood that destroyed the first in the same location. It had a simple rectangular plan, 36 by 44 feet, with the 36 foot elevation running along the river. Connected to the property was a shed south of the grist mill. It was 45 by 20 feet, and its 45 foot side ran in line with the grist mill's east elevation facing what is now Colchester Avenue. Upstream four feet from the grist mill was a store that was owned by the Catlin brothers. This store was two-and-a-half stories and was 30 by 50 feet. Farther up the river at an angle, running off of the store's northeast corners was a drying kiln. A drawing done in 1840 shows a sketch of what the mill looked like. It would have been a simple three story gabled building with the gable facing the Winooski River. It looks to be two bays wide on the rivers side. In the sketch there are two buildings, the one farther downstream could be a depiction of a plaster mill or oil mill that is mentioned below.⁴

Between 1840 and 1859, alterations probably occurred to the grist mill and the surrounding properties. This assumption is based on a reference to a five-story grist mill on the site that was mentioned in 1859, when a fire was started around 6:30 am in the lower story of the mill. The Burlington Free Press wrote that men tried to put out the fire using buckets. When the firefighters got there, one group had to cut holes through the frozen river to help fight the flames.⁵ At this point, Moses Catlin had been dead for about 17 years and the mill was operated and owned by H.W. Catlin.⁶ After the fire, H.W. Catlin built another mill on the same site. This would possibly be the fourth grist mill on this site since Moses and Guy Catlin. The Burlington Free Press stated that this new mill, which the start of construction was only 38 days after the fire, was larger than before and "the best mill in the state". The newspaper wrote the "interior finish of principle room equals that of an elegant church paneling painted white and glossy rails and trim of mahogany pillars of dark ornamental wood". H.W. Catlin's new mill was said to manufacture over 450 barrels of flour a day using machines made by Messrs Edwards and Stevens, and employed 15 to 20 men. The mill at this time had grown almost four times since the early parts of the 19th century.⁷

This was also the first mention of a grain elevator being used on this site.⁸ The first elevator system to be developed in the United States was by Oliver Evans in 1755.⁹ There is a chance that Guy and Moses Catlin had grain elevators in their mills as well, but the grain elevator didn't change the milling process, it just made some jobs easier. Before the elevator, the grain was hoisted up to the top floor usually from the outside on a side gable elevation. On the same side there was usually a large door on each floor to allow for new machinery that the hoist would help to bring in.¹⁰ The grain was stored on the top floor because mill workers used gravity to their advantage. The grain would be poured in from above through what was called the "eye". The eye was a reference to the hole that was cut out in the middle of the two millstones that are used to grind the grain. The millstones were above the ground floor, this was because the gears that were connected to the waterwheel and powered the millstones, would be on the ground level. Grist mills would need two millstones to operate. These stones would be placed on top of each other, lying flat. The top stone was called the "runner" and the lower was called the "nether" stone. Each stone had to be "furrowed"; this was the process of cutting groves into the stone, which stretched from the center eye to the outside edge. The flat areas that are not cut are called the "land" and this was what actually did the grinding. The grain was dropped from above, into the eye where it was ground by the uncut section of the two millstones. When the grain was ground, it then followed the groves out from between the stones. The groves also allowed heat from the friction created in the grinding process to leave the center. The finished product would then fall below into a channel that would collect the processed grain. Lastly the product would be sorted by grade.¹¹

Like most businesses in this area of Burlington, owners came and went rather quickly and with little explanation. H.W. Catlin, after constructing what was said to be one of the best mills in the state, left the mill sometime before 1869, which was only ten years later. This was because of an 1869 map that is in University of Vermont's Special Collections, which shows Catlin's mill but it was now owned by the Burlington Woolen Mill Company.¹² A Sanborn map from 1889 gives a description of the mill as well. This was 30 years after H.W. Catlin built his new mill so some of the features are most likely newer additions. The Sanborn map shows that the mill was primarily powered by water and steam, and includes sprinklers that would be hooked up to the city's water. The main building was five stories with a monitor roof.¹³ Buildings were built up around the five story structure at varies heights with their roofs sloping away from the main block. An image from an 1877 bird's eye view of Burlington shows a representation of what the mill looked like at the time it was owned by the Burlington Woolen Mill Company.¹⁴

The last person with a connection to the grist mill on this site was Dan M. Johnson, who as early as 1921 operated what was called Johnson Grain Company,¹⁵ however the city directories show that the site was vacant by 1926.¹⁶ Perhaps it was a good thing that Johnson abandoned the site in 1926, because in 1927 a massive flood destroyed the mill and the buildings around it. Some photos taken of the mill during the flood are in University of Vermont's Special Collections.¹⁷ This was the last mill to be built on this site. Now with the trees grown up, the original site of Catlin's 19th century mill is hardly even noticeable and can be easily overlooked.

Notes (Grist Mill)

1. Records of the 4th Census of Manufactures. 1820. Schedules for Vermont (Washington: National Archives and Records Administration, 1964), 7.
2. Martha Zimiles and Murray Zimiles, Early American Mills (New York: Charkson N. Potter, Inc., 1973), 7, 9, 11.
3. David J. Blow, Historic Guide To Burlington Neighborhoods (Burlington, Vt: Chittenden County Historical Society, 1991), 99.
4. Drawing of Winooski Falls, (Landscape Change Program: 1840), Drawing, http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/menu.php. Courtesy of the Vermont Historical Society.
5. "Fire at Winooski," Burlington Free Press, 1, 21, 1859, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
6. John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand, and Ralph H. Orth, Vermont Encyclopedia ( Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2003), 79.
7. "Winooski Falls," Burlington Free Press, 4, 8, 1859, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
8. "Winooski Falls," Burlington Free Press, 4, 8, 1859, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
9. Zimiles, 36.
10. Zimiles, 39.
11. Zimiles, 31, 36.
12. Frederick W. Beers, Winooski Falls (University of Vermont Special Collections: 1869), map.
13. Sanborn Map Company, Burlington 1889 (University of Vermont Special Collections: 1889), map.
14. E. Meilbek, Birds Eye View of Burlington and Winooski Vt. (University of Vermont Special Collection: 1877), map.
15. Burlington and Winooski (Vermont) Directory for Year Beginning July 1925 (Springfield, Mass.: H.A. Manning Company), 1926.
16. Burlington and Winooski (Vermont) Directory 1921(Springfield, Mass.: H.A. Manning Company), 1921.
17. Louis L. McAllister, Winooski Bridge (Old) (University of Vermont Special Collections: 1877- 1963), photo.

Satinet Factory History

The Catlin brothers shared some of the responsibilities with other partners when it came to running the manufacturing businesses. Brewster, the same individual who had a hand in the oil mill along the Winooski River also worked with one of the Catlin’s in the satinet factory. Carding machines were used in the factory to straighten and untangle the fibers of wool before yarn could be spun.¹ There was a newspaper article from 1838 that describes a satinet factory 100 feet by 50 feet. This description matches the one in Johnson’s survey which is represented in the map at the top of the page. This article in the Burlington Free Press states that there was at that time 40 looms in the factory and a brick boarding house for the workers.² Looking at Johnson’s survey in University of Vermont’s Special Collections one can see that there was a brick house close to the factory, right across of what is now Mill Street, which is also seen on the map above. The mill, which was built in 1814, used carding machines to produce “merino wool”. The Vermont Centinel at that time proclaimed that the quality of the wool produced at the satinet factory was “such (that) has never before been in operation in this state”.³

Notes (Satinet Factory)

1. Martha Zimiles and Murray Zimiles, Early American Mills (New York: Charkson N. Potter, Inc., 1973), 102.
2. “For Sale,” Burlington Free press, 11, 30, 1838, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
3. “Notice to The Public,” Vermont Centinel, 6, 3, 1814, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.uvm.edu

Paper Mill History

Alfred and Dan Day are the ones who operated the paper mill along the Winooski River. They had experience working in paper mills before, for a time they worked in the Milton mill as “journeyman”.¹ Later they started this paper mill with one of the Catlin brothers. The mill first opened in April of 1814 and stopped operations in 1832, followed by the building burning down in 1838.² Two years after the mill closed, Alfred Day died when he fell from a wagon and fractured his skill.³

Traditionally, manufacturing paper did take some skill, especially if it was handmade.⁴ It was commonly produced using fibers obtained from cotton, wood, hemp, jute, or flax seed. The process started with a vat filled with water, were the material would be literally beaten to a pulp. Many mills in the beginning would only have in their possession one vat, but some had more.⁵ In the case of the mill along the Winooski River, they had one vat, one engine, and two presses, which were operated by six men and four women.⁶ The next step was to collect the pulp in molds; this process would involve the individual to dip the mold into the vat. The mold would be rectangular and had wire mesh covering the inside. This would allow the excess water to drain out leaving only the pulp. Heavy pressure was then put onto the mold to draw out most of the water that was left. Then the mold would be removed, reveling the sheet of paper. The sheet would then be hung up to dry in a room that was well ventilated.⁷

Paper manufacturing in the United States took a while to develop. The first papermaking mill was in Philadelphia in 1690 by William Bradford and William Rittenhouse. Later, early mills could be found in places like Alstead, New Hampshire and Bellows Falls, Vermont.⁸ Although Rittenhouse’s mill was started in the 17th century, it wasn’t until the 1820s that the United States Senate started using American made paper. The first one to supply the Senate was Simeon and Asa Butler of Sufield, Connecticut.⁹ This information is to show how dependent America was on foreign paper. Even though a lot of paper at that time was supplied from overseas mills, there was still a small demand for American paper. In the late 18th century printers in Albany and Troy were dependent on paper mills located in Hartford, Connecticut and even Burlington, Vermont.¹⁰ The mill that was owned by Day and Catlin shipped their product not only to the local community, but New York City, as well.¹¹

Notes (Paper Mill)

1. John Bidwell, American Paper Mills 1690 – 1832, A Directory of the Paper Trade With Notes on Products, Watermarks, Distribution Methods, and Manufacturing Techniques (Dartmouth, 2013), 259.
2. David J. Blow, Historic Guide To Burlington Neighborhoods (Burlington, Vt: Chittenden County Historical Society, 1991), 99.
3. New-York Spectator, 12, 25, 1834, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.uvm.edu.
4. Martha Zimiles and Murray Zimiles, Early American Mills (New York: Charkson N. Potter, Inc., 1973), 223.
5. Lyman Horace Weeks, A History of Paper – Manufacturing in the United States, 1690 – 1916 (New York: Burt Franklin, 1969), 69.
6. Bidwell, 259.
7. Weeks, 69.
8. Martha Zimiles and Murray Zimiles, Early American Mills (New York: Charkson N. Potter, Inc., 1973), 224.
9. Weeks, 119.
10. Weeks, 91.
11. Bidwell, 259.

Oil Mill History

In the same vicinity as Catlin’s grist mill, which can be seen on the map at the top of the page, was an oil mill. The exact relationship between these two buildings isn’t clear and a lot of this comes from the fact that no pictorial evidence has been found. Most of the information involving this mill has been found through newspapers and secondary sources. The oil mill came shortly after Moses Catlin and his wife acquired the land around the Winooski River. Catlin secured a license for a patented oil mill in 1818.¹ He worked with a partner, and newspapers referred to the owners as Catlin and Brewster.² Together they would give cash in exchange for flax seed.³ In 1846 the Winooski Mill Company, which would later be the company that would build the Chace Mill, started their operations in the now abandoned oil mill. It is unclear when Catlin and Brewster went out of business or moved their operations somewhere else. A description of the Winooski Mill Company in 1850, in the book Historic Guide to Burlington Neighborhoods might give a hint to the Catlin and Brewster oil mill. It states that the Winooski Mill Company’s factory was a stone three-story structure with a 34 by 84 foot wooden building that was already on the site.⁴ Looking at this information the wooden building that was mentioned could be the size of Catlin and Brewster’s original oil mill. The Winooski Mill Company, which will be mentioned later in more detail had to move their operations because of a fire that destroyed the oil mill in 1852.⁵

Notes (Oil Mill)

1.Thomas D. Visser, Winooski Falls Mill Historic District (Boundry Increase) (National Register for Historic Places: 1993), section 8, 2.
2. Burlington Gazzette, 10, 24, 1816, 4, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.uvm.edu.
3. “Cash”, Vermont Sentinel, 6, 13, 1817, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.uvm.edu.
4. David J. Blow, Historic Guide To Burlington Neighborhoods (Burlington, Vt: Chittenden County Historical Society, 1991), 102- 103.
5. Visser, section 8, 2.

Saw Mill History

The saw mill by the Winooski River seemed to be operated by Moses Catlin, and was powered by one water wheel. Most likely there was a lower level that housed the gears to power the saw much like in the grist mill. The book, Early American Mills by Martha Zimiles and Murray Zimiles says that saw mills were usually gabled structures, and opened on at least two sides. This was to allow an easy sawing operation. The logs would go in one way and out the adjacent side.¹ This couldn’t happen in the case of Catlin’s saw mill considering that it had buildings and the river blocking three sides. The fact that the elevation that faced the courtyard was 64 feet long could give an explanation as to how the logs were moved into the building. The length probably allowed them to have one large entry, which was on the one side of the building. Another large entry would most likely be on the other side of the courtyard facing side to allow the lumber to be easily taken away. An 1820 census of manufacturing in the Burlington area shows that the saw mill was in operation fairly early. The census also reveals that the mill included a total of five saws that cut white pine logs, with the help of five male workers.² The saw mill met its demise during a fire in 1838 that was started in the block factory.

Notes (Saw Mill)

1. Martha Zimiles and Murray Zimiles, Early American Mills (New York: Charkson N. Potter, Inc., 1973), 64.
2. Records of the 4th Census of Manufactures. 1820. Schedules for Vermont (Washington: National Archives and Records Administration, 1964), 12.

Block Factory History

It is impressive how much Burlington, Vermont and the Catlin brothers were connected to New York City. The influence that Guy Catlin had in the great city of New York was visible in his investment of what was known as the Winooski Patent Block Manufacturing Company. This short-lived factory was only in operation for two years. The fact that it was even surveyed by John Johnson is remarkable. (John Johnson's original surveys can be found in the University of Vermont Special Collections.) The three-story factory with additional buildings situated around it and a chimney placed away from the main structure, was one of a kind in the United States. Along with the size of the building, John Johnson's survey also states that it was primarily made out of wood and had a steam boiler in the basement. The Winooski Patent Block Manufacturing Company was originally formed on November 10, 1835 and its directors included George marsh, Guy Catlin, John Catlin, Uriah Bliss, and Peter Stuyvesant.¹ The newly formed company took control of a New York company that use to be known as Livingston’s Patent Block Making Machinery. The Burlington factory used patented machines built by a man named Thomas Blanchard. The block factory in Burlington manufactured tackle blocks five to nine inches, plank blocks seven to 16 inches, and deadeyes. After manufacturing they would be shipped to New York City, where there was a store on 84 South Street.² The factory moved to Burlington to take advantage of Vermont’s plentiful supply of wood, but a lot probably had to do with the fact that Catlin already had a lot of connections in the Burlington and Winooski area.³

Ship blocks have been around for a long time; they are an important tool in sailing. Before the 19th century these devises that could come in many shapes and sizes were made by hand, with only a small amount of work done by machines. This all changed thanks to England, and its royal navy. A factory in Portsmouth England is credited as being the first to create a production line designed to make ship blocks for the Royal Navy. They at one time had the ability to create over 200 different block designs. The blocks would be made from a solid piece of wood with pulleys inside that rotate and openings to allow ropes to pass through them.⁴ At that time, the Portsmouth factory was the only one that incorporated an entire production line from start to finish. Other manufacturing facilities, even in the United States incorporated some machines to make the process simpler. Alexandria Virginia had some machines for boring the holes and incorporated circular saws to help their manufacturing in 1796.

The concept of creating an assembly line to produce ship blocks wasn’t new even though it was innovative for America. What made the block factory in Burlington special and unique was because of the use of Thomas Blanchard’s block making machines. Since the Winooski Patent Block Company had the rights to Blanchard’s designs they were the only one in the country at that time who were using these machines. Blanchard had to have known about the factory in Portsmouth but his patented machines were not copies of what the British were using.⁵ August 1st to the 30-first was when Blanchard filed for the patent for nine ship block manufacturing equipment.⁶ It seems as though these machines could be used individually to assist someone that couldn’t afford all the patented designs, but that was probably not the intention. Since the machines don’t seem to overlap in the manufacturing process and because they were filed for patenting around the same time, Carolyn Cooper points out in the book, Shaping Invention, Thomas Blanchard’s Machinery and Patent Management in Nineteenth Century America that Blanchard must have intended for his inventions to be used as one assembly line. His machines were used to make all the parts of a ship block, the shell, pins, and other iron elements. ⁷

When the factory was built, it had to be very intriguing to the local community of Burlington and Winooski. It wasn’t long until the newspapers started talking about it. After it was constructed in 1836, a Burlington Free Press writer wrote that the factory was “filled with a series of the most ingenious machinery for the manufactor of ships blocks, deadeyes, besides newly invented machines for sawing out and finishing barrel staves”. The factory ran thanks to an 80 horsepower waterwheel; Portsmouth could only get up to 30. This marvel of engineering, which sat in a $7,000 dollar structure, was probably going to take over the ship block industry in America. This would have been the United States equivalent of the Portsmouth’s factory.⁸ Shortly after the factories construction, advertisements started appearing in the newspapers, proclaiming that ash timber was wanted at the factory. The wood couldn’t include any knots, shakes, or heartwood. They were looking for boards 7 inches by 1.5 to 1 5/8 inches, all the way to 14 inches by 2 3/8 to 2 5/ 8 inches. Also they sought white ash logs 22 inches in diameter and 14 feet long.⁹

This complex only lasted two years. A fire was started in the block factory in December of 1838. It not only destroyed the block factory but also the buildings around it like the saw mill and the satinet factory.¹⁰ This fire marked a turning point in the areas industrial history. It marked the end of the Catlin family’s influence at this manufacturing center. The factory was never rebuilt again, and the company doesn’t seem to come back from this disaster.

Notes (Block Factory)

1. Carolyn C. Cooper, Shaping Invention, Thomas Blanchard’s Machinery and Patent Management In Nineteenth - Century America (New York: Columbia University Press, 1991), 153, 154.
2. “Winooski Patent Block Manufacturing CO.” Vermont Centinel, 6, 10, 1836, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
3. Cooper, 154.
4. Cooper, 131, 134, 138.
5. Cooper, 140.
6. List of Patents For Invention and Design, Issued by The United States, From 1790 to 1847, With Patent Laws and Notes of Decisions, of The Courts of The United States For The Same Period (Washington: Edmund Burke, 1927), 167.
7. Cooper, 142.
8. Cooper, 154.
9. “Ash Timber,” Burlington Free Press, 9, 16, 1836, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
10. “Great Fire At Burlington,” Commercial advertiser, 12, 26, 1838, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.uvm.edu.

Plaster Mill History

The plaster mill that one of the Catlin brother's built began operations in the early 19th century. The exact date is elusive. Although some have suggested that the property was added to the site in 1837¹, the census of manufacturing done in 1820 records a plaster mill owned by Catlin was located in Burlington.² As little information has been uncovered on the Catlin brother’s plaster mill, it is possible that there was an older mill somewere else before the one at the Winooski River was constructed. Either way there, a plaster mill was in operation in connection with the grist mill by around 1840. Moses Catlin was probably the one to start this operation, considering he had a large hand in the oil mill and grist mill that sat right next to each other. The best depiction of the site is the 1840s drawing that was mentioned earlier (see figure 1). This drawing depicts a three-story structure to the right of to what appears to be the grist mill. The gabled end faced the river and there was a chimney in the roof. This feature could be a clue to matching the building with the plaster mill, considering plaster needed to be heated to a high temperature.

The plaster mill could make 500 tons of plaster a year.³ Catlin had a capital investment of $5,500 dollars in the property, and hired five men at $400 dollars a year.⁴ The mill produced what is known as plaster of paris, which is a pure gypsum product that sets very fast.⁵ Pure plaster of paris would be a mixture of around 93.8 percent of lime sulphate and 6.2 percent of water, which would look like CaSO4·½H2O. A pure example is hard to come by considering when it was mined it usually has other elements that are mixed into the gypsum like clay, limestone, and iron oxide. When the gypsum is heated, the temperature is very important, it must not exceed 340 degrees Fahrenheit. To create plaster of paris, one needs to grind the gypsum rock and “calcine” it in a kettle or oven.⁶ The life of Catlin’s plaster mill most likely was not that long. It doesn’t show up on any maps of the area, only newspaper articles and secondary sources reference it. It is unclear who owned it last or when it actually closed down. The most logical explanation was that it ether burned down along with the grist mill in 1859 or the oil mill in 1852.

Notes (Plaster Mill)

1. Thomas D. Visser, Winooski Falls Mill Historic District (Boundry Increase) (National Register for Historic Places: 1993), section 8, 2.
2. Records of the 4th Census of Manufactures. 1820. Schedules for Vermont (Washington: National Archives and Records Administration, 1964), 11.
3. Visser, section 8, 2.
4. Records, 11.
5. Edwin C Eckel, Cements, Limes, and Plasters, Their Materials, Manufacture, and Properties (New York: John Wiley & sons, Inc, 1922), 38.
6. Eckel, 18, 38, 40, 48, 56

Cotton Mill History

Two men named Vilas and Noyes started the Winooski Mill Company, and in 1846 the two owners started their first cotton mill in Catlin’s old oil mill.¹ During their time in Catlin’s mill, they employed seven men, and ten women. The president of the company was Joseph D. Allen and with his help they produced 5000 pounds of cotton a year. William R. Vilas did help found the company but he wasn’t president until 1852. Morillo Noyes had a leadership role as treasure ever since the company was started.² They operated out of the oil mill until 1852 when it burned down.³

When they moved to the location of what is now the Chace Mill, they built a mill that is almost entirely destroyed. The only section of it that is left is the ruin attached to the Chace Mill that sits in the river. The ruin appears to be reconstructed on the left side using concrete. This was probably done when the original mill was enlarged. The stone wall to the right was most likely part of the original mill back in the 1850s. The ruin was part of the powerhouse that was part of a rectangular block that ran north to south. To the right of the mill during the mid to late 1860s was a chair factory and another saw mill that could have been operated by the Winooski Lumber Company which had some operations on the Winooski side of the river as well. No hard evidence could be found that linked the Winooski Lumber Company to these manufacturing facilities. This layout can be seen on an 1869 map created by Frederick W. Beers, which is in the University of Vermont’s Special Collections. During this time the mill included 50 Benjamin and Reynolds patent looms and was now employing 22 men and 40 women. The company strangely changed its name twice during the 1860s to the Winooski Cotton Factory and then the Burlington Cotton Mill in 1868.⁴

Beers map, 1869 — Figure 9. 1869 Beers map showing the site of the Burlington Cotton Mill Co. on south bank of the Winooski River. Courtesy of University of Vermont Special Collections.

cotton mill ruins, 1927 — Figure 10. This photo was taken by Louis L. McAllister during the Winooski River flood of 1927 shows the cotton mill ruins. Courtesy of University of Vermont Special Collections.

ruins of past cotton mills near the Chace Mill, 2013 — Figure 11. View looking south across the Winooski River showing ruins of past cotton mills near the river with the Chace Mill in the background and Mill Street at the right. Photos taken by Chris Witman, 2013.

This company saw dramatic changes not just in building designs but also ownership over the last half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. In 1876 a depression affected the mill and the owner at the time, Joel. H Gates, who was forced to file for bankruptcy.⁵ The Burlington Cotton Mill Company was then bought by William Clark at an auction a year later for $130,000 dollars.⁶ For some reason he didn’t hold onto the company for too long and in 1880 Joel Gates was the owner once again, along with Robert S. Severrson. At that time the factory moved to an old furniture factory on Kilburn Street but spinning and carding still went on at the Winooski River mill. The company expanded despite the constant ownership changes. The mill was enlarged with the addition of two wings added to the east and west elevation creating a cross plan. This is probably when the concrete was added to the ruin that can be seen in the river today. The company now had 10,000 spindles and employed 350 workers, including 25 children in the 1880s.⁷

A survey map shows the enlarged factory layout in 1889. The central rectangular structure that was probably the original building had carding machines on the first and third floor. Spinning was then carried out on the second and fourth floor. The east and west elevations had rows of windows going along the walls on each floor. The east addition sat up higher than the main block, its first floor was connected to the second floor of the original building. This wing also included carding and spinning machines. The west addition included an elevator, offices, and coal storage. The building in 1889 was heated by coal and the lights ran on gas.⁸

Figure 14. 1889 Sanborn map showing the cotton mill at the upper right. Note the tenements on Mill Street and at the corner opf Barrett Street. Courtesy of University of Vermont Special Collections.

Eleven years after the building was expanded, the cotton mill caught on fire. At 11:45 a fire was started in the upper story of the mill. The Vermont Watchman, a newspaper recorded the event with amazing description. The reporter wrote, “A strong south wind was blowing and flakes of burning cotton were wafted over the town and descended in a shower of fire on the roofs in the north part of the village”. Houses and local shops fell victim to this tragedy. Devlen’s blacksmith shop was one of these properties that burned to the ground along with the cotton mill.⁹ Like the industries before them, the stockholders that invested in the mill were not willing to leave the sit at the Winooski River. They voted to rebuild again and it would be even bigger than before and made out of brick. The new building would house 30,000 spindles. ¹⁰

Now called the Chace Mill, this replacement factory building constructed in 1891 has a rectangular footprint that runs along the river’s edge. About a quarter of the way down the north elevation on the west side of the structure is a section of the building that extends out towards the water in three bays. This extension runs the rest of the north elevation. Rather tall windows, which are partially arched at the top, cover all three floors. They create a repetitious pattern of windows cut out of the brick walls. Each window is separated into three parts; the top section includes eight panes of glass. The two lower sections appear to be twelve over eight panes. Most of the windows now have their top sash covered up by wood panels. The foundation of the building is stone and one has to question how much of the foundation was part of the older mills.

During these mills' history, there were also some examples of tenement housing built for the workers. One example is on 13 – 19 Mill Street. It was constructed around 1854 and was moved to its present location in 1874. It was ten bays wide and two stories tall. (See Figures 3, 9, and 14 above.) Another tenement building, which was two stories, was constructed in 1853. It was sold to the cotton mill in 1873 and housed workers until shortly after the Chace Mill closed in 1926.

Notes (Cotton Mill)

1. David J. Blow, Historic Guide To Burlington Neighborhoods (Burlington, Vt: Chittenden County Historical Society, 1991), 104.
2. Blow, 102 – 103.
3. Thomas D. Visser, Winooski Falls Mill Historic District (Boundry Increase) (National Register for Historic Places: 1993), section 8, 2.
4. Blow, 102 – 103.
5. “U.S. District and Circuit Court. – February Term,” Burlington Weekly Free Press, March 8, 1878; http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
6. “Vermont News,” St. Albans Messenger, June 15, 1877, 5, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.ezproxy.uvm.edu.
7. “Vermont Items,” Vermont Phoenix, March, 19, 1880, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
8. Sanborn Map Company, Burlington 1889 (University of Vermont Special Collections: 1889), map.
9. “Great Fire at Winooski,” Vermont Watchman, 2, 25, 1891, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
10. “Cotton Mill To Be Rebuilt,” Burlington Weekly Press, March 27, 1891; http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
11. “All Around Vermont” Vermont Phoenix, March 2, 1906; http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/.
12. Blow, 104.

Mills & Factories

Manufacturing heritage sites in Burlington and Winooski, Vermont