05/19/2026
It is hard to believe that the quiet luxury apartments sitting on Canal Street today were once the loud, beating heart of American industry. 🧱
This one plot of land in Shelton, Connecticut, has seen it all. In 1871, it was the site of the Wilkinson Brothers Paper Mill. When a horrific fire burned the wooden factory to the ground in 1878, the owners rebuilt it out of brick in an astonishing four months and eighteen days. At its peak, that mill was bringing in five million dollars a year!
As the world changed, the factory adapted. By 1917, it became home to the Driscoll Wire Company and the Naugatuck Valley Crucible Company. Thousands of locals spent their lives inside those walls, stretching cold-drawn steel wire and building massive heat-resistant pots for the brass industry.
Sadly, time and nature eventually won. In May 2018, a section of the abandoned factory fell right into the Housatonic River, shocking the community. Today, the property has been completely dismantled to make way for new apartments and condos.
Did you or anyone in your family ever work in the old factories along the river? I would love to hear your memories in the comments below!
Discover the fascinating timeline of Shelton's forgotten empires:
https://www.digitalinkd.net/2026/05/wilkinson-brothers-paper-mill-sheltons.html
This abandoned factory on the Housatonic River is now modern condos. Discover the lost industrial history of Shelton, from a paper mill to steel wire.
