New York Belting and Packing Co., Industrial complex in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, United States.
The New York Belting and Packing Co. is a four-story brick mill building with an Italianate tower along Glen Road in Sandy Hook that once manufactured rubber products. A dam spans the Pootatuck River and provided the water power that ran the facility's machinery.
The facility began in 1856 after taking over a failed rubber company and produced fire hoses and transmission belts until 1980. The long span of production reveals how industrial manufacturing shaped a single Connecticut community for generations.
The mill shows how river power once drove manufacturing in Connecticut and what factory work meant to local communities over generations. You can see through its physical form the daily rhythms of an industrial town.
The property spreads across a large area blending historic structures with modern uses, so plan to walk around to see the whole site. Daytime visits work best for viewing the buildings and understanding how the river and dam relate to the layout.
The site still retains its original water power system complete with a turbine from the Fabric Fire Hose Company era. This working 19th century mechanism is a rare example of how industry once relied directly on moving water.
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