The history of Redding, the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, and the Granite Church are common threads of a shared fabric. The Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, which operated in Redding for more than 140 years, from 1848 to 1989, was instrumental in establishing Redding as a “company town” for generations of immigrant workers and their families and played a key role in the economic development of the surrounding area.
The Wire Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Gilbert & Bennett manufacturing plant began as a cottage industry, weaving animal hair from cows and horses. The Weaving Building was built in 1919.
The 1914 and 1919 Buildings are a part of the historic Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill. Both have their construction year in brick on the façade.
The Blue Building (aka the Machine Shop) is a historic structure in the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill. It is currently being rented out to the National Park Service as a machine shop that supports Weir Farm National Historical Park in Ridgefield.
The Sawtooth Building is an iconic part of the legendary Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill. Situated next to the river, this unique building gets its name from its sawtooth shape.
This is the old post office, situated on the grounds of the historic Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill.
The Town of Redding took ownership of 44 acres of the Wire Mill property in 2020, after a lengthy foreclosure process that began in 2015 ended at the Connecticut Supreme Court in a victory for the Town.
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