SGC-CT046-046 · Research edition September 12, 2026
A selected, source-based research collection for New Haven and Fairfield counties. Includes credited photographs where reusable images were located, historical interpretation and links to supporting records. It is a growing inventory, not an exhaustive survey. Photographs retain their individual dates and reuse terms; images do not establish present access conditions.
The story in pictures
Gilbert and Bennett factory 004
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.
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.
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.
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.
Includes source text where acquired. Source websites require an internet connection. OCR may contain errors; verify names and dates against the scan.
7 catalog entries
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CT046-S01 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026
Preservation Connecticut: Gilbert & Bennett
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.
External source; the full publication remains with its publisher. The archive provides an original educational summary and a link. See the collection history for the claims supported by this record.
Credit: Pedro Xing / CC0. Cite SGC SGC-CT046-046, CT046-P01, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
CT046-P02 · Photographs · 2012-05-07
Gilbert and Bennett HQ 003
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.
CC0 public domain dedication; attribution appreciated but not required. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image.
Credit: Pedro Xing / CC0. Cite SGC SGC-CT046-046, CT046-P04, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
ED-P19501082 · Photographs · 2012-05-07
Gilbert and Bennett HQ SW oblique 005.JPG
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.
Image resized for the reading room. Source content retained. Modern oblique exterior matches source. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: CC0
Credit: Pedro Xing / Own work. Cite SGC SGC-CT046-046, ED-P19501082, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
ED-P19353041 · Photographs · 2012-04-20
Gilbert and Bennett demolition 2012 011.JPG
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.
Image resized for the reading room. Source content retained. Blurry sign and exterior; no demolition machinery visible in this frame. Different image from recovered CT046-P04, which shows fenced work with an excavator. Do not use this image alone to establish funding or ownership. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: CC0
