Brown's Mill: Inside CT's Abandoned Paper Factory on the Salmon River
The old brick walls of Brown's Mill still rise above the Salmon River like a stubborn memory. Trees push through cracked floors. Rusted metal hangs from the ceilings. Broken plaster and splintered wood cover the ground inside what remains of the once-busy paper mill. Yet even after decades of abandonment, parts of the machinery still stand. Two hydro turbines sit silent beside the river, and a massive steam engine remains planted inside the ruins, a reminder of the years when the mill pulsed with noise, heat, and labor.
Locals still call it Brown's Mill, though its official name was the Brown Brothers Paper Mill. For generations, the factory sat along the western bank of the Salmon River beside Comstock Bridge Road, shaping both the economy and identity of the Colchester (East Hampton) community in eastern Connecticut. Today, only two of the seven mill buildings survive: the main structure and the northern building, both rebuilt during a modernization effort in 1929.
From Pequot Land to Grist Mill
The site's history stretches back much further than the surviving walls suggest. Long before paper machines and turbines arrived, the land belonged to the Pequot people. In the 1600s, the property was transferred to early settlers by Uncas, the influential Sachem of the Pequot nation. By around 1725, Andrew Carrier and U. Skinner established a grist mill on the site, using the steady current of the Salmon River to power grinding machinery. There is some historical dispute on whether a grist mill was established here first or whether it was constructed further away from this location.
Over the next century, the property evolved alongside the industrial growth of New England. Maps from 1833 show a grist mill operating there. By 1854, the site included Wetherell's Paper Mill along with S. William's grist and saw mill. Water power made the location valuable, and owners continued adapting the property to meet changing demands. In 1868, W.A. Snow Paper Mill shared the same water-powered site with the grist and saw mills.
The Brown Brothers Era
That transformation accelerated in 1870 when brothers Howard C. Brown and Edward M. Brown purchased the site and renamed it Brown Brothers. The two men became prominent figures in the area, each building large Queen Anne-style homes nearby. One stood close to the historic covered Comstock Bridge, while the other overlooked the hill above the river valley.
How the Mill Worked
Inside the mill, workers turned scrap paper into cardboard products used for tickets and packaging. Materials arrived from another mill north of Hartford, where they were broken down into a wet slurry before being processed into heavy paperboard. Later, the business expanded into fishing line and trimming cord for tennis racquets, products made by twisting and braiding silk fibers through mechanical equipment.
The river powered nearly everything. A dam diverted water into a raceway that forced water across turbines housed inside the mill before returning it to the Salmon River. When water levels dropped too low, a coal-fired steam engine took over. The steam system also heated the sprawling factory and likely helped dry cardboard during production.
Fire, Flood, and the 1938 Hurricane
Even during its productive years, the mill fought constant battles against disaster.
Two major fires struck between 1870 and 1895, forcing repeated rebuilding efforts. Then came the hurricane of September 21, 1938. Referred to as the Great Long Island - New England Hurricane. Floodwaters slammed into the property and badly damaged the factory. Though the mill had been modernized just nine years earlier, operations slowed dramatically after the flood and eventually stopped altogether. The buildings have remained abandoned ever since.
Decay and the 1982 Fire
Nature and time have done what fire and water could not fully finish.
Much of the original raceway was filled in during an Army Corps of Engineers erosion project in the early 1980s. In the same decade, another fire tore through the property in 1982, destroying much of what remained of the complex.
Today, wire fencing surrounds the ruins. "No Trespassing" signs hang in several places, even spray-painted ones in bold green on brick walls, though the site still attracts curious explorers, photographers, anglers, and hikers drawn to the haunting remains beside the river. The appeal is easy to understand. Brown's Mill feels frozen between eras. One moment, it resembles an industrial cathedral. Next, it looks like the forest is swallowing it whole.
What Comes Next
But the ruins hold more than atmosphere. They also raise difficult questions about preservation, safety, and what communities choose to save.
In June 2021, the Comstock Bridge Road property received a $27,500 Connecticut Brownfield Assessment grant to test for hazardous materials. Officials are particularly concerned about contaminants tied to the mill's industrial past, including possible asbestos insulation inside old furnace systems.
The current owners say they want a different future for the land. Their goal is to preserve the nearly four-acre property as an undeveloped public space along the Salmon River. The site includes more than 1,500 feet of riverfrontage within Salmon River State Forest, making it attractive for fishing access, hiking, kayaking, and other low-impact recreation.
There is also growing recognition that the mill and nearby Comstock Bridge are deeply woven into local identity. Generations of residents have grown up hearing stories about the old factory, and many photographers have taken pictures of the covered historic Comstock Bridge. Anglers still gather along the riverbanks nearby. Hikers stop to photograph the crumbling brick walls rising through the trees.
The long-term plan may involve demolishing much of the remaining mill structure. Still, preservationists hope several historic elements, likely including portions of the machinery or stonework, can remain as evidence of the site's industrial past. Exactly what will survive has not yet been decided.
Were you or a family member employed at Brown's Mill before the 1938 hurricane shut it down? Do you have photos from inside the factory when the turbines still turned, or memories of the Comstock Bridge Road property before the 1982 fire? With only two buildings still standing, your firsthand accounts are the living record of this Salmon River landmark.
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Source(s):
1. Water Resources Development by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Connecticut. (1996). United States: Department of the Army, New England Division, Corps of Engineers. pp.78
2. Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army, on Civil Works Activities. (n.d.). United States: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp.18
3. State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. (2020). 2020 Municipal Brownfield Grant Program application: Assessment-only (Browns Mill) [Grant application form]. Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
4. Clark W. Bryan & Company. (1883). The paper mill directory of the world: A complete catalogue of all the paper and pulp mills on the globe. Holyoke, MA: Author. pp.11
5. ALTA Environmental Corporation. (2021, August 28). Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessment: Former Brown's Mill property, Comstock Bridge (aka River) Road, Colchester, Connecticut [Proposal]. Town of Colchester Planning & Zoning Department.
6. Town of Colchester. (2021, April 7). 2020 Municipal Brownfield Grant Program application: Assessment-only (Brown's Mill) [Grant application]. Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.
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