Taftville
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Taftville is a small village in eastern Connecticut. It is a neighborhood of Norwich, CT but has its own post office (ZIP Code 06380). It was established in 1866 as site for the large Taftville Mill, later Ponemah Mill.
Currently redevelopment of the large Mill is being conducted by the The O'Neill Group in conjunction with OneKey llC..The development company and construction management companies have over 25 years of construction and development experience and have been approved by the City of Norwich for this prestigious project. They will revitalize the Mills into residential rental units and commercial space that is much needed in the area. The National Parks Service will oversee the historic preservation of the structure, to ensure the historic elements are sustained.The 430,000-square-foot (40,000 m²) Ponemah Mill will be converted into 305 luxury apartments and approximately 15,000 square feet (1,400 m²) of commercial space.Ponemah Mills Web Page
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[edit] History of the Taftville Mill
The Taftville Cotton Mill, a cotton textile factory built on the Shetucket River where a large dam could be built to provide power. The large mill building (Building No. 1) was purported to be the largest weave-shed under one roof at that time. The original workers were predominantly Irish immigrants, and they were hard hit by the depression of the 1870s that began with the Panic of 1873. Unemployment rose and wages dropped appreciably from 1873 to 1875, causing bitter relations between workers and management in many places..[1]
In April 1875, the 1,200 workers went on strike. The mill owners had raised rents in company-owned housing as well as prices at the company-owned store. Wages at the time were under $10 for a 67-hour work week. In one often-cited anecdote, a workingman said he and his daughter had worked full time for more than three months but only had four dollars between them to show for it. The immediate cause of the strike was a pay cut of 12 percent in an attempt to stop unionization. Workers were told half of the pay cut would be restored to anyone who had not participated in trying to form a union at the company.[1]
The company replaced the workers with French Canadians, who would come to number more than 70 percent of the population. Workers were evicted from company-owned housing, and the Connecticut General Assembly passed a strict "tramp law" aimed at workers (such as those from Taftville) who became drifters after their strikes were broken.[1]
Ponemah Mills operated for about 100 years.
[edit] Local institutions
There is a public elementary school called Wequonnoc School and a private elementary school called Sacred Heart School (http://www.sacredhearttaftville.org). [1] Students then attend Kelly Middle School. After graduating from there, they move on to either Norwich Free Academy, an independent school serving Norwich and several surrounding towns, Norwich Technical High School, or other surrounding high schools. There are two churches: Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church and the Taftville Congregational Church.
[edit] Notable people, past and present
Among the more accomplished Taftville residents was Ned (Edward) Hanlon who managed the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (1889), Pittsburgh Burghers (1890), Baltimore Orioles (1892-1898), Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1905), and the Cincinnati Reds (1906-1907). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Another ballplayer was the Quebec-born right fielder, Augustine "Lefty" Dugas, whose family settled in Taftville. He played for the Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Senators between 1930 and 1934.
In the academic arena Saunders Mac Lane, was the son of the Minister of the Taftville Congregational Church and a mathematician of world note, who spent his career at the University of Chicago, Yale and Harvard. He was the co-author of A Survey of Modern Algebra, a book which was the standard work in that field for many years.
Currently Mr. Finbar O'Neill, founder of the O’Neill Group, has agreed to refurbish Ponemah Mill Building which was initially occupied by Irish immigrant workers. Mr. O’Neill himself was born and raised close to the village of Pomeroy, County Tyrone ,Ireland. Mr. O’Neill began his career as a carpenter before establishing his own company.
While remaining the Director of Operations for Onekey,Finbar O'Neill started to pursue his interest in real estate development. The primary objective of The O’Neill Group thus became to acquire and refurbish properties. Bringing added value to such properties such as the Ponemah Mills to achieve their highest and preeminent use.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Roth, David M., editor, and Grenier, Judith Arnold, associate editor, "Connecticut History and Culture: An Historical overview and Resource Guide for Teachers", published by the Connecticut Historical Commission, 1985, chapter (unnumbered) titled "Connecticut 1865-1914 / Selected Persons and Events" written by David M. Roth, section titled "The Taftville Cotton mill Strike of 1875", page 158
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