Mansfield Hollow Historic District

Town:
Mansfield »
Year of Establishment:
1976
Overlapping Historic Designation(s):
LHD, NRHD, SR
District Authority:
Historic District Commission
Link to Commission or Municipal Website:
Map:

Map of the historic district retrieved from the Historic District Study Committee, 1976, SHPO Library, Hartford.

View photo
District Character:
Rural Village
Features:

Buildings, Open Spaces, River front

Architectural Style:

Greek Revival

Era:
19th Century, 20th Century
General description:

Mansfield Hollow is a cohesive village of late 18th and 19th century structures, including residences, a former store and a silk mill. The district is both historically and architecturally significant. Most of the houses original owners were connected with the Hollow's early enterprises, which included grist, saw, carding, fulling, oil, cotton and silk mills and a machine shop. The importance of small-scale manufacturing to the Hollo's economy is recalled today by the stone mill, which like the earlier mills, was powered by the swift Natchaug River flowing along the District's southern boundary. The village is typical of rural Connecticut architecture and shows development of the basic farmhouse inherited from the 18th century. Most of the early inhabitants combined farming with their mill activities. Despite modifications to some of the buildings, the district's small scale and clustering of houses retain the feel of a 19th century village. [2]

Significance of the district:

Architecture, Industry- Mansfield Hollow Historic District is of local historic significance because of its association with the industrialization of the town of Mansfield. The Mansfield Hollow Historic District is also of architectural importance as a coherent collection of simple early 19th century dwellings. Mansfield Hollow is one of the best remaining examples of this pattern of small-scale industrialization. Not only are there the stone mill and the now unexposed turbine as evidence of the industrial past, but most of the houses were built for or later occupied by people who owned or worked in the various enterprises. Although only two of the buildings can be properly called mill housing, the usual pattern in the Hollow was for the leading mill owner or owners to buy most of the other houses to rent out to employees. [NR]

District Boundary (according to the LHD Study Report, copied in 2010):

The district includes the properties clustered around the intersection of Mansfield Hollow and Mansfield Hollow Road Extension, as described in the district ordinance. (Lot numbers as per the historic district study committee report- 112, 167, 114, 104, 137, 106, 105, 144, 116 and 113).

Sources:

[1] District information retrieved from the town website http://www.mansfieldct.gov/.
[2] Mansfield Hollow Historic District, Report of the Historic District Study Committee, 1976, SHPO Library, Hartford.
[3] GIS information and Parcel IDs retrieved from http://www.mainstreetmaps.com/CT/Mansfield/. [2]
[NR] Clouette Bruce, Mansfield Hollow District, National Register Nomination Number- 79002667 NRIS, National Park Service, 1979 - http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/79002667.pdf; http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/79002667.pdf.

Notes:

The local historic district is contained within the larger Mansfield Hollow National Register historic district.

Disclaimer:

Content for this website and district boundaries were compiled from several sources and are subject to change. Boundaries for LHDs may be different from those of State or National Register Districts. To verify the boundaries and particulars of a specific district, consult the LHD study report on file with the respective municipal authority or the State Historic Preservation Office.

Date of Compilation:
12/31/11
Compiler:
Manjusha Patnaik, CT Trust for Historic Preservation