Aspinock Memories
The history of Belding Heminway Corticelli Mill
By Bill Pearsall
Municipal Historian
As the Municipal Historian of the town of Putnam and partnering with the Aspinock Historical Society, I continue to be amazed at the visitors that come to visit our Historical Museum in the Municipal Complex. 
Local Putnamites are joined by many from around the state and from around the country.  Many visitors share stories about the mills their relatives worked in.  Although some of the mills have fallen victim to fires and floods, still others have remained standing.  One of the largest remaining of the mills is the Belding Heminway Corticelli Mill on Providence Street.
Originally, the mill was called the Powhattan Mill.  It was built in 1872 by Milton Morse and his son George M. Morse to meet the demands for cotton goods.  Housing was built the same year on Mohegan and Powhattan streets for mill worker families.
In 1915, George Morse died and his son Augustus Morse decided that he was not interested in keeping the mill in operation.  So it was closed and put up for sale.
In 1920, a group of silk thread manufacturers came together to buy the now- vacant Powhattan Mill.  The new buyers included the Heminway Silk Company, Belding Brothers, Corticelli Company and the Hammond-Knowlton Silk Company forming a new corporation:  Belding, Heminway, Corticelli of Putnam.  Silk thread machinery was installed in the mill.  They also thought about planting mulberry trees in the hope of raising silk worms locally.  Turned out our climate was not suitable for raising silk worms so this never happened.
By 1925, the business was mass producing silk thread on spools for home and industrial stitching.  The product was known all over the country for its quality and the fastness of its dyed colors.
During the 1930-1940s, Belding established a Research and Development Division in Putnam making it possible to explore other materials for thread making.  Rayon and synthetic materials were explored.  Belding became allied with Dupont in the development of nylon, etc. filaments.
In 1941, Belding supplied nylon thread for parachute manufacturing.  In later years it broadened its marketing into the shoe industry supplying Orlon thread which was mildew proof.
I believe Belding Heminway Corticelli closed its operation around 1990.  I don’t have the exact date.  If you know when they closed, please let us know at the Aspinock Museum by calling 860-963-6800 x300.
Credits go to the Aspinock Historical Society archives including former Town Historian Robert Miller’s personal files from 1998.

Aspinock Memories graces the pages of the Putnam Town Crier to keep Putnam’s history alive.

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Rain banished from the cottage
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The Cady Copp Cottage is starting to spread her wings. 
The replacement of the floor in one of the first-floor rooms, plus work on the entry, plus work on the chimney is completed and the next step, in addition to more fund-raising, is that the Aspinock Historical Society is now in the position of giving small tours when “tour guides” are available, according to Aspinock President John Miller.
The society had collected about $49,000, including $15,000 from the Putnam Area Foundation, $10,000 from last year’s annual appeal and donations through the years and memorial gifts in memory of Fred Hedenberg. That was used, through the years, to create a driveway into the property from Rt. 21, a parking lot and work on the exterior. The last $25,000 of that was used to hire Luke Walker Construction to replace the rotted floor in one of the rooms, plus the entry way. 
A couple years ago, according to Town Historian Bill Pearsall, Walker had bid $25,000 to do the project. He held to that two-year old bid and then fixed and capped the top of the chimney at no extra charge. That made sense, because one of the reasons for the rot in that room’s floor was rain running down one of the four fireplaces and sending water onto that floor. Pearsall said they will not be using the fireplaces so capping it was a good idea. Pearsall said “We had an inch and a quarter of rain yesterday and if the chimney had not been capped, this whole floor would have been flooded. In addition, Walker put the original doors back on. His work took a couple months, Pearsall said.
Small world. Walker is related to the Cutler family. Centuries ago, the pastor taught Manassas Cutler in the cottage. Manassas Cutler went on the wright the Northwest Ordinance.
The house, built around 1730, is unique because it has never had running water or electricity. Pearsall said the last owners left the house in the 1930s. 
Job one, years ago, after archeologists’ digs to save all the artifacts, was stabilizing the foundation. One of the walls was tipping out and that had to be corrected, too. A $100,000 grant from the Historic Preservation Society was used for that. Pearsall said a couple years ago, they painted the outside and fixed many of the windows. Locks were installed on the door. Gutters, while not true to the building’s history, were added to help safeguard the foundation. 
He said future projects might include having the asphalt that is to be removed and ground up by the town’s road projects laid down on the gravel driveway. Once place there, it would kinda melt and become a paved driveway, parking lot. And the donation/some help with a gate across the driveway would be excellent. 
Pearsall also said adding period wallpaper might also be a future project. Some of the horsehair plaster has been replaced, but more work needs to be done on the walls.
 

caption:
Cady Copp Cottage
Left: Old rain stain. The chimney was capped off so no more rain can get in to ruin the floors. Town Historian Bill Pearsall stands on the new floor.  Expanded photo array on our FB page Wed. night. Linda Lemmon photos.

Tessier to lead District of Elks – USA
PUTNAM — Shawn Andrew Tessier of the Putnam Lodge of Elks 574 was installed as district deputy for the BPO Elks for lodges in the East District of the Connecticut Elks Association. He will serve one year.
The installation was made at the BPO of Elks National Convention held recently in Kansas City.
The BPO Elks is committed to making its communities better places to live. Last year, the Order donated more than $500 million in cash, goods, and services to the needy, students, people with disabilities, active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces and their families, veterans and their families, and charitable organizations. In the 157 years since the Order’s founding, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks has made charitable donations totaling approximately $12 billion.

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