Foundation

Douglas, MA  2020

Obviously the work of human hands.  Could be the foundation of an old sawmill or gristmill.

Roundhouse Remains

Old Saybrook, CT  2020

Update

Long time followers of this blog might recall the picture of this granite house, posted back in March 2014.

At the time I wrote what little I was able to find about the history behind this structure.  You can read about it here.  Recently I happened to drive by this house again, and I couldn't believe what I saw.  

Old Mystic, CT  2016

Someone is restoring the house.  You can see a roof has been added, along with doors and windows.  Other structural modifications are being made as well.  It's still very much a work in progress, but I was happy that someone is bringing this home back to life again.

The house has been in the same family for 160 years, and the current family members are restoring it.  More information about the history and restoration can found in this article.

Urban Ruins II

Norwich, CT  2015

I think this was once a miniature golf course.  It certainly looks like one except for one small detail.  I could find no "cups" in the turf to putt to.  The "course" is tucked away next to the Heritage Trail, a walking path that follows the Yantic River near downtown Norwich.  There are definitely walking paths here, with some bridges and  what looks like the "turf" fairways found on miniature golf courses.  I didn't count the fairways, but I don't think there were 9-holes, much less 18 so I don't think it was quite big enough.  At one time there were posts with signs on them, but the signs are long gone.  The area was surrounded by No Trespassing signs though, so I guess I shouldn't have walked up here.

I could find no mention of what used to be here in my searches related to the Heritage Trail or the Howard T Brown Memorial Park.

Urban Ruins

Norwich, CT  2016

I'm not sure what was here, but I find these remnants of buildings past fascinating.  

Seaside Farewell

Allow me some parting shots from the Seaside Sanatorium.  As I stated in a previous post, the governor of the state of Connecticut wants to make this property a new state park.  I'm afraid that might be easier said than done.  I'm sure there many political issues and legal issues that need to be resolved not to mention that the property is located in a very affluent neighborhood within Waterford and I'm sure the local residents will have something to say about having a new state park in their backyard.

Waterford, CT  2015

Hopefully common sense will prevail and this historic property will be preserved for future generations.  Until that happens, the property is not secured and many people stroll the grounds and enjoy the salt air and sunshine, much as the children here did about 80 years ago. I plan to return sometime soon.

Thank you for looking.  I hope you enjoyed these pictures and the little piece of Connecticut state history. 

Seaside Sanatorium IV

Waterford, CT  2015

I love the brickwork that went into this building.  Notice the diamond designs in the top photo, a pattern that was repeated on other walls of the building.  Without maintenance, it's surprising how quickly nature will recapture these buildings.

Seaside Sanatorium II

Waterford, CT  2015

One can see what years of neglect can do to a once magnificent building.  The architecture appears playful to me and somewhat whimsical, adding some joy to the lives of the children who were treated here with what was at that time a terrible disease.  The design also incorporated large outdoor balconies, seen here, providing plenty of room for the children to sit and play in the sun, which was then the accepted treatment for tuberculosis.

Seaside Sanatorium

Waterford, CT  2015

This is the building seen from afar in yesterday's blog post.  This building, and the others on this 32-acre parcel of land along the coast line were originally built for the treatment of children with tuberculosis and was the first in the country to do so.  Before the days of antibiotics, it was thought that tuberculosis was best treated with fresh air, and sunshine.  This piece of land afforded both in ample supplies.  The building was designed by the famous architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the Woolworth Tower in New York as well as the Supreme Court Building.  The facility opened in 1936 and later became a Geriatric center and then a facility for the mentally retarded when drug treatments made such sanatoriums obsolete.  It was closed in 1996 and has been subjected to nature and vandals since then.  Currently there are plans to convert this piece of property into a new state park.  I hope the buildings can be saved.

Chestnut Street Mill

Norwich, CT

This building opened in 1885 as Beer Bottling Works and was later occupied by the Norwich Paper Box Co.  It was in continuous operation through 1949.  It is literally within site of Norwich City Hall and like many other buildings of that era, it has become so deteriorated that it cannot be preserved.  The city has accepted bids for its demolition and hopes to develop this prime downtown real estate.

Old Buildings Again

Norwich, CT  2015

Little has changed with these buildings since I first photgraphed them.  I first posted pictures of these buildings in 2011 and at that time didn't think they'd last much longer.  I revisited the site last year and then yesterday.  

Granite Ruins Revisited

Old Mystic, CT

I first posted photos of this structure back in October of 2011.  You can find that post here.  I wrote back then that I knew nothing about this structure and there must be a story behind it.  I recently revisited the site and took some more photos.  It sits alone in a large field and seems to be in remarkably good shape.  I really like the various colors of granite block used in its construction.  Still being very intrigued about this building I searched as best I could and did find an article written about the property published by The Day back in July of 1978.  It's amazing what a properly worded Google query can find sometimes. 

According to the article, the house was built by Elias Brown, a Mystic lawyer, in 1825.  The designer of the house is lost in history, but it is thought that the granite used in construction came from some local quarries.  Tragically in Nov of 1924, the house burned.  Descendants of the owners have maintained the property at least until 1978 and more than likely still do some 36 years later.  The article quotes a Mrs Einna Peck, who is the daughter of the owner at the time of the fire, and was 80 years old back in 1978.  The article goes on to state that the descendants still own the house and property, and that there might be  some interest at that time in restoring the house.  After close to 36 years, the house looks pretty much the same.  Remarkably the property has not been vandalized, however nature has taken its toll on the remaining granite walls.  

As the late Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story..."

Seen Better Days

Hebron, CT

This building certainly has seen better days.  I'm not sure how much longer it will be left standing.

Norwich State Hospital II

Norwich/Preston,  CT

This building is across the street from the building pictured in yesterday's post.  Due to the high surveillance and security around this property,  I'm limited to photograph only those structures I can see from the main road.  I hope those who are responsible for the development of this property have arranged for some sort of photo-documentation before these buildings are lost.  I would love to spend a day or two walking and photographing this property.

This Old House

I have driven by this house many times and finally decided I should stop and photograph it, for I'm not sure how much longer it will be here.  It's located on a busy Connecticut route surrounded by many much more affluent properties.  It looks out of place.  Recently I noticed a realtor's sign posted out front, so the property is for sale.  I'm not sure anyone would be interested in the house since it is such dis-repair.

I'm reminded of the song "This Old House", written by Stuart Hamblen in 1954 and recorded by such artists as Rosemary Clooney,  Willie Nelson, The Statler Brothers and most recently by Bette Midler, amongst other recording artists.   The lyrics seem appropriate for this house.

This ole house once knew his children


This ole house once knew his wife


This ole house was home and comfort


As they fought the storms of life


This old house once rang with laughter


This old house heard many shouts


Now he trembles in the darkness


When the lightnin' walks about

Words and Music by Stuart Hamblen,

Copyright © 1954 Hamblen Music Co.

East Lyme, CT

Old Mill Site Chute

Gay City State Park, Hebron, CT

This is the scene from atop the remaining walls of the old mill, showing a chute which runs from the mill to a small nearby stream.  I wonder what this place looked like back in the early 1800's.  

Old Mill Site

 It took me a little while to find this old mill site in Gay City State Park, but after walking along a number of trails, and consulting a couple of maps, I was able to find all that's left of the mill built here in the late 1700's to early 1800's.  The religious sect who settled this area built a mill drawing power from the Blackledge River.  During the war of 1812 the woolen mill fell on economic hard times due to numerous blockades.  After the mill was revived, it burned to the ground in 1830, further leading to the decline of what little prosperity there was in Gay City.

 A paper mill built here helped to revive the small community somewhat up until the time of the Civil War.  Gay City lost a number of their younger men in the war, and shortly there after, that mill also burned which ultimately lead to the demise of Gay City.  People left here for jobs in the nearby big cities and the homes here were abandoned and left to the elements.

In 1943, one of the last descendants of the people who lived here sold the land to the state of Connecticut with the stipulation that it be called "Gay City".  It became a a state park one year later. 

Sources:  http://www.damnedct.com/gay-city-hebron/

               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_City_State_Park

               http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325202

                

Farm Buildings

Haley Farm State Park, Groton, CT

This is what remains of the some of the farm buildings on Caleb Haley's Farm.  I'm not sure what type of buildings these were or what purpose they served on the farm.  I'm glad the space is now preserved as open space, thanks to the fund raising efforts of the Groton Open Space Association and the Connecticut Forest and Park Association who together raised the funds necessary for the state to purchase the property and protect if from further development.  It officially became a state park in 1970.    Somewhere I think Caleb is happy with what has become of his farm and stone walls.

Haley Farm State Park

Groton, CT. 

I grew up in New Jersey, lived in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and now Connecticut.   By far, Connecticut is the smallest state of the five states in which I've lived.  However, here in Connecticut we have 107 state parks.  For a state this size, I think that's pretty remarkable.  I don't know how many state parks the other states have.  I guess I never paid too much attention to them back when I lived elsewhere.  This week I'll be featuring pictures from the Haley Farm State Park.  Part of this land was once owned by  the first governor of Connecticut, John Winthrop Jr.  Ownership passed through many hands, until it was farmed by Caleb Haley in the late 19th and early 20th Century.  These are some of the remains from his farm buildings.

Norwich State Hospital

Preston, CT

Located directly across from Mohegan Sun on the banks of the Thames River is the old Norwich State Hospital.  Opened in 1904 as the Norwich State Hospital for the Insane, the site once encompassed over 900 acres and contained 40 buildings.  Although primarily a mental health facility, it also housed patients with tuberculosis, geriatric patients as well as those patients with a chemical dependency.  At its peak, the facility housed over 3,000 patients. Declining patient populations forced its closure in 1996.  It was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1988.  Most of the site lies in the city of Preston, which is currently trying to develop the site after having purchased 330 acres from the state in 2009.  Although there have been many proposals to develop the site for other uses, nothing concrete has ever come of the plans.  Meanwhile, these historic buildings are left to decay.