Date: Fri 31-May-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Orchard-Hill-Nichols-mill

Full Text:

Mill Site Placed On National Register

The Nichols Satinet Mill Site in Newtown was officially placed on the National

Register of Historic Places at an awards ceremony in Hartford during National

Historic Preservation Week.

George W. Adams represented Newtown at the ceremony conducted by the State

Historical Commission. About 30 Connecticut projects were honored.

In 1983 Mr Adams, with the assistance of Albert S. Knapp, who is now deceased,

coordinated a study which led to the creation of the Orchard Hill Nature

Center on 25 acres of land between Orchard Hill, Hattertown and Monitor Hill

Roads. Several old dams and mill sites are on the property.

John Herzan, National Register coordinator for the State Historical Society,

said the National Register listing recognizes properties which the federal

government believes are worthy of preservation because of their significance

in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture.

Two other Newtown projects - the Borough of Newtown Historic District and the

Hattertown Historic District - also are candidates for the National Register,

he said, and may be placed on the register sometime after October 1, 1996.

The state commission is paying for the cost of the studies needed to verify

these two areas as worthy of National Register sites. The Borough area

includes the entire Main Street historic district, as originally proposed,

rather than the scaled down version which was adopted by local property owners

in April, Mr Herzan said.