Hike a while down a picturesque woodland trail that runs alongside the Roaring Brook in Glastonbury CT, and you’ll suddenly find yourself in front of the stunning remains of an old cotton mill that was built in 1814. I had only the vaguest idea about where it was when I arrived in Glastonbury, and I wasn’t even sure where to park to get to it, since the ruins are no longer located next to a road that is still in current use. It wasn’t until I met a local walking her dog in the woods, that I was able to get some real directions to the old mill. And so it was that I found myself hiking through the snow - following a brook deeper into the woods, until suddenly, there it was.
It was definitely worth the hike.
The mill was built in 1814 and in the days when Glastonbury was still a major manufacturing center, it employed more than 350 people who worked in a small industrial village with multiple mills all powered by the waters of the Roaring Brook. The mill was tragically gutted by fire in the 1920s, putting an end to its commercial use, and all that remains of the mill today is an incredible, free-standing, four story wall. several sections of which have already crumbled away.
The section that is still standing looks like it might fall at any moment, and the structure is extensively posted with signs warning visitors of the risk of getting too close. After unauthorized demolition attempts in 2020, the Town of Glastonbury purchased the site to protect the remaining stone walls in partnership with the Historical Society of Glastonbury and the Save Cotton Hollow Mill Coalition
Despite the danger, it’s an incredible sight if you keep a safe distance from the structure, and well worth the hike.
© Gordon Webster
Using the link below, you can browse a curated set of images from the Cotton Hollow Mill in a gallery at my website, from which you can purchase photographic artwork in multiple formats. If this work resonates with you and you haven’t already done so, please consider subscribing to get future project updates.
