From Excelsior Needle Co. to Timken: The Rise and Fall of Torrington's Standard Plant

Image
The Standard Plant and a Century of Making Things It was a hot May week in 2023, and J and I were already sweating through our shirts before we even made it to the entrance. We turned into the driveway off North Elm Street and passed a large Caterpillar backhoe holding up the red, white, and blue at the top of the arm. Patriotic machinery. Only in Connecticut. We moved toward the back of the complex with our eyes open, scanning for any sign of people or activity. We found cameras instead. A few of them, well-positioned across one of the buildings and up on an electrical pole, covering angles that made our original entry plan useless. We backed off, found a Plan B, and stepped into a dark room washed in tinted green light, then took the stairs down to ground level. The former Standard Plant sits along North Elm Street at a sunken grade, one story, with another building rising over the roadway to the far right when you're standing in front of it from North Street. It's the kind o...
Post a Comment

Support





Dear cherished reader and guest, it's our hope that you're finding delight and value in the content we curate for you. Our dedicated team pours endless effort into crafting stories and information that resonate and inform. If you're currently using an ad blocker, we humbly ask that you consider pausing it while you explore our site. Ads are the backbone of our support system, enabling us to continue delivering the high-quality content you've come to enjoy. By allowing ads, you play a vital role in our journey, helping us to sustain and enhance our website. Your understanding and assistance in this matter are deeply appreciated, ensuring our content remains vibrant and available. Thank you for being an integral part of our growing community!


All contributions to support our site are securely processed through PayPal, ensuring your donation is directly allocated towards the site's funding. It's important to note that a PayPal account is not a prerequisite for making a donation. Should you have any inquiries, feedback, or issues you'd like to discuss, please don't hesitate to reach out via email. Your support and engagement are greatly appreciated.


To support us, you can easily make a donation via PayPal through the top left-side menu tab on our website or below through our QR code. This convenient option allows for a straightforward way to contribute and support our efforts. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and helps us continue to provide valuable content.


For those interested in supporting us with digital currencies, we happily accept donations in forms like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies. To make a donation with these "magical coins" of the internet, please find the necessary details and wallet addresses listed below. Your contribution through these innovative and intangible means is greatly appreciated and helps us continue our work. Thank you for considering a donation in cryptocurrency.





Support my tea habit with what else: CRYPTO! 


ETH: 0x46A21AE7DcEFad43c52B72560730fB635452e2da


BTC: 12p9dynYfWMBmcWRVYFQ1vyfreZN5EbMab


LTC: MKgnPNzYzqZDHoxbZonNsp4s9E5YbCW6cQ


BCH: qzl5pj4xadcfgu9q50z6w30pdxsnl5ntqswf5wjcxr


Cash App: $digitalinkd






Referral Links

Check out MediaFire to get up to 50GB of free online space. 1GB free!  Click here!

Rapidgator Registration Referral. Click here!

Stringr Referral Friend Code: D75PYJ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ball & Socket Manufacturing Co. | From Civil War Buttons to an Arts Complex

Image
This one stings a little. Not every location hands you a story worth telling and then slams the door before you can photograph it, but the Ball & Socket factory had other plans for J and me that day. The cold was the first thing I remember. A sharp Connecticut chill that had absolutely no interest in our ambitions. We worked our way into the inner courtyard, feeling reasonably optimistic, and then hit a wall literally. Locked doors on every side. No entry points that weren't either sealed or watched. The only building we managed to get inside looked less like a historic factory and more like a very long parking garage that had given up on itself. Even the boiler house was off the table. We circled, debated, and eventually made the call that every explorer has to make when a site is still secured and possibly still monitored: we walked. Some days you document. Some days the building wins. We never went back, and before we got a second crack at it, word came down that the complex...
Read more

From Excelsior Needle Co. to Timken: The Rise and Fall of Torrington's Standard Plant

Image
The Standard Plant and a Century of Making Things It was a hot May week in 2023, and J and I were already sweating through our shirts before we even made it to the entrance. We turned into the driveway off North Elm Street and passed a large Caterpillar backhoe holding up the red, white, and blue at the top of the arm. Patriotic machinery. Only in Connecticut. We moved toward the back of the complex with our eyes open, scanning for any sign of people or activity. We found cameras instead. A few of them, well-positioned across one of the buildings and up on an electrical pole, covering angles that made our original entry plan useless. We backed off, found a Plan B, and stepped into a dark room washed in tinted green light, then took the stairs down to ground level. The former Standard Plant sits along North Elm Street at a sunken grade, one story, with another building rising over the roadway to the far right when you're standing in front of it from North Street. It's the kind o...
Read more

Inside the Abandoned Horsman Doll Factory in Trenton

Image
  You’ve got to move when the chance is right. That’s something I keep telling myself—but just as often, I forget it. Or ignore it. And then I end up learning the same lesson all over again. It happened on a quiet afternoon when I pulled up to the old Horsman Doll factory. The place has long been abandoned, but it still holds stories—ones I try to capture through my lens. The main gate was slightly ajar. Not wide open, but just enough for me to slip through with my gear. It was one of those rare opportunities. But across the street, half-hidden behind a rundown house, a group of men sat drinking and shouting over each other. The kind of scene you don't want to get caught up in—especially alone, carrying expensive camera equipment. I hesitated. I debated. I bailed. My gut told me to walk away, so I did. I figured I could find another way in. I circled the block, hoping for a back entrance or even a broken window low enough to climb through. I found one window that looked possible—bu...
Read more

Diner Dreams and Declines: The Kullman Dining Car Company

Image
  While exploring the area for a different site, I stumbled upon this abandoned property, marked by a large pile of household refuse and debris from commercial demolitions, improperly discarded. As night began to fall, I hesitated to venture inside alone. This caution might have been fortuitous, for on a subsequent visit to Newark, New Jersey, I discovered a makeshift bed crafted from an oversized couch. It seemed someone might be using this as a makeshift sleeping area, unwittingly inhaling potentially lethal chemicals not meant for human respiration. The entry to this forsaken place was through a semi-open truck loading dock, obstructed by a concrete barrier, presumably to halt further looting of the structure or to deter unethical contractors from dumping their illegal waste under the veil of night. Once an industrial site, this property was marred by environmental pollutants such as metals, paint, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Ninety-one years ago, it was operational before fa...
Read more

Exploring the Abandoned Aerosol Techniques Factory in Milford, CT (Photos)

Image
When I arrived at the former Aerosol Techniques factory, I was filled with a mix of anticipation and curiosity. Meeting a group of new friends for a day of urban exploration in Connecticut, we had a lineup of intriguing abandoned sites on our agenda. Our itinerary included the hauntingly beautiful Seaside Sanatorium, a former hospital, along with a few other potential spots that we were less certain about. We chose the factory as our starting point, mainly because it offered easy access and was conveniently situated next to a Lowe's hardware store. Walking along a well-trodden path, our group made a seamless transition onto the property. The sense of camaraderie was palpable as we embarked on our adventure with eager enthusiasm. The factory grounds, long deserted, were a canvas for countless graffiti artists. Every inch of the building was adorned with vibrant and eclectic street art, each piece telling its own story. This rich color and creativity set the perfect stage for our imp...
Read more