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...
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Abandoned Home Goods Manufacturer (Bilco Co.)






* *This site was the former Bilco Company which manufactured basement hatchways, garage doors, sidewalk doors, and roof hatches on Water Street in West Haven, Connecticut. 


Milling about with gleeful abandon.

I finally checked out this complex from a depressing neighborhood where houses are boarded and vehicular traffic is always substantially busy. I was astonished at how easy it was to access the complex. I had previously seen kids hanging around by the water playing around on a previous visit whilst using my DJI Phantom 4 drone.



















Upon entering the property I feared the worst. Local kids may have already trashed the property based on the numerous windows busted out. Entering inside my fears were appeased. Inside was comfortably clean and unblemished from graffiti and shitty craft. It seemed the complex could be cleaned up and put to use with a little TLC and back into a hub of commerce. The offices on the other hand needed substantial renovation. A shame the previous owners left to move to another part of the state. The property provided a substantial view out to the water. Standing inside a side doorway. I could see many previous employees taking a smoke break and taking in the calming water lapping against the property.
















I had the entire place to myself. I milled about to my heart's content until I finally got all the shots I required. A prime location for a model photoshoot if I shot models. 💁




































































Status: Demolished as of July 31, 2022, and surrounding residential houses fenced and boarded for future demolition and development of The Haven Mall Outlet project.

*April 13, 2023, houses North of Richards and East of First Avenue have been demolished. The Haven Mall Outlet project has been scuttled while the vacant lot languishes.

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