Wilkinson Brothers Paper Mill: Shelton's Lost Pulp Mills

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Ghost Factories along Canal Street E and the Housatonic River Canal Street in Shelton, Connecticut, feels like a graveyard for American industry. Years ago, I walked down this very road to explore the Star Pin Company . Today, Star Pin is nothing but a cracked foundation and scattered rubble. But right next door, separated by a rusty gate, sits another forgotten giant. I arrived too late to see any leftover machinery or the previous tenant's last setups. Cleanup crews had already taken over the site. Grey duct tape and thick plastic sheeting sealed off the window frames and doorways. Abatement workers were busy removing asbestos from the ancient boiler pipes. Nature had already started claiming the site, too. Back in 2018, the local news reported that a section of the back building simply fell into the Housatonic River. Since then, the property has been used mostly for storage. Still, slipping inside was surprisingly easy. I came here on a mission. I wanted to find a hidden pi...

Nutrix Quarters

Entrance Foyer



Where the holes keep on opening...

I came upon Nutrix Quarters doing some backdating research inside the borough for other vacant structures. Finding the place so close to my home base I ventured out one cloudy day in hopes of seeing inside this structure. Arriving on site, I quickly scanned the fencing for an opening and to my surprise found the entrance by side glancing driving down the street. On a now-defunct blog, a previous explorer had gotten in using a supplied rope to enter the facility. On my trip, I needed no such extravagance.



Administrative Room










Waiting until traffic and the nearby pedestrians made their way down the block and away from sight. I snuck in and made my way inside. Upon entering, I came upon what looked like the welcoming entrance foyer. The black-detailed fireplace called to my symmetry fetish. After satisfying my lust, I made my way upstairs quietly. Downstairs was strewn with trash and clothes. Praying any bedbugs or other pests find my warm body an open invitation. (Trust me you do not want a bed bug infestation inside your home. I got infected through my college one winter a long time ago and brought them home.) Quietly moving through the hallways I made my way to the second floor. Listening for any other occupants besides my curious self. Finding no others, I continued my sustained art-capturing and made my way to the next floor. Finding the long hallways and smaller rooms uninteresting. I tried to capture as much detail of the hallways as I could capture. Seeing signs of squatting, I made my way back down to the ground floor.




The Coolest Spot in Paradise (Bando)



Peeling paint hallway



The best feature of Nutrix



The only interesting part and probably the biggest feature of this place above. I exited and went on my merry way back home. A month later, I returned with S who wanted to see the place and I obliged. Upon my return, the entrance I had used was now sealed again. During our first approach and crushed entrance dreams, we stood across the street and saw two highly dumb explorers in broad daylight trying to bust open a chain-locked fence door with bolt cutters. As you may have guessed, a pedestrian walking down the opposite sidewalk saw this asinine attempt and immediately called the police. Our two dimwits make a hasty retreat the opposite way. Crushed that my friend S could not enter we split and went our separate ways. It wasn't until recently, that I went back to the Nutrix, that a new entrance had been opened. Sadly, S has moved out of state never to see inside of plans for the site move for housing redevelopment.




Kitchen






So much peeling paint for those with a fetish for paint chips















The only significant and extravagant piece inside

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