COLLECTION 046 · SGC-CT046-046
Fairfield County · Industrial sites
A Norwalk River mill tells the story of a craft business becoming mechanized industry.
Former wire mill; remediation and redevelopment planning documented
LOOK CLOSER · OPEN ANY IMAGE
2012-05-07
The Gilbert and Bennett factory was located along the Norwalk River to provide mechanical power when the manufacturer was established in 1818.
2012-05-07
The former corporate headquarters of the Gilbert and Bennett company, manufacturers of various wire products including the dish of the Arecibo Observatory in Georgetown, Connecticut, USA.
2012-05-07
An arched transom window near one of the gables at a building of the Gilbert and Bennett company, Georgetown, Connecticut, USA.
2012-04-20
A portion of the Gilbert and Bennett wire manufactory being demolished in 2012.
2012-05-07
Gilbert & Bennett headquarters seen across the bridge. A view of the southwest corner of the Gilbert and Bennett headquarters in Georgetown, Connecticut, USA. This is a view from the North Main Street bridge looking north-northeast.
2012-04-20
Project sign outside Gilbert & Bennett headquarters during demolition work. Sign in front of the ongoing demolition of (part) of the Gilbert and Bennett wire mill in Georgetown, Connecticut. The demolition project is apparently being carried out by the state of Connecticut.
COLLECTION HISTORY
Benjamin Gilbert began making household sieves in 1818. His operation moved toward machinery and wire products: wire cloth appeared in 1837, followed by a wire-drawing mill in 1863 and powered weaving in 1865. The river supplied the setting for this transformation. [CT046-S01]
A fire in 1874 led to rebuilding, with later major construction in 1909 and 1922. The preservation inventory contains an older account written while manufacturing continued; its later property notes instead describe brownfield investigation, cleanup funding and redevelopment planning. Those dates must not be collapsed into a single present-tense description. [CT046-S01]
The sequence from sieves in 1818 to wire cloth in 1837, wire drawing in 1863 and powered weaving in 1865 shows a business changing its methods as well as its products. A familiar household object leads into a story of mechanization. The river setting and mill buildings place that change in Georgetown, where the scale of production can be studied through surviving structures and documentary photographs. [CT046-S01]
Fire in 1874 did not end the industrial story: rebuilding and later construction in 1909 and 1922 created successive layers of the complex. Its later brownfield and redevelopment records describe a different set of concerns, including what remained after manufacturing. A photograph made during demolition therefore belongs beside, but is not interchangeable with, a factory-era view. Reading both explains how an industrial site can continue to shape a community after its original business has changed or disappeared. [CT046-S01]
Fairfield County · 6 included photographs
Research edition: September 12, 2026
THE SEARCHABLE CATALOG
Search includes catalog notes and the OCR text included with this edition. OCR may misread names or dates; use the original scan to verify a match.
CT046-S01 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026
Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, Georgetown
Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. A Norwalk River mill tells the story of a craft business becoming mechanized industry.
Read item & source notesCT046-P01 · Photographs · 2012-05-07
Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, Georgetown
The Gilbert and Bennett factory was located along the Norwalk River to provide mechanical power when the manufacturer was established in 1818.
Read item & source notes
CT046-P02 · Photographs · 2012-05-07
Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, Georgetown
The former corporate headquarters of the Gilbert and Bennett company, manufacturers of various wire products including the dish of the Arecibo Observatory in Georgetown, Connecticut, USA.
Read item & source notes
CT046-P03 · Photographs · 2012-05-07
Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, Georgetown
An arched transom window near one of the gables at a building of the Gilbert and Bennett company, Georgetown, Connecticut, USA.
Read item & source notes
CT046-P04 · Photographs · 2012-04-20
Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, Georgetown
A portion of the Gilbert and Bennett wire manufactory being demolished in 2012.
Read item & source notes
ED-P19501082 · Photographs · 2012-05-07
Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, Georgetown
Gilbert & Bennett headquarters seen across the bridge. A view of the southwest corner of the Gilbert and Bennett headquarters in Georgetown, Connecticut, USA. This is a view from the North Main Street bridge looking north-northeast.
Read item & source notes
ED-P19353041 · Photographs · 2012-04-20
Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, Georgetown
Project sign outside Gilbert & Bennett headquarters during demolition work. Sign in front of the ongoing demolition of (part) of the Gilbert and Bennett wire mill in Georgetown, Connecticut. The demolition project is apparently being carried out by the state of Connecticut.
Read item & source notesExtract the ZIP and open START_HERE.html. It includes the catalog, selected images, acquired source text, credits and a searchable SQLite database. New photo additions are hosted in the SGC media library and require an internet connection; original bundled images remain available offline.
