The Energy of Falling Water: Connecticut’s Early Mills, with Historian John Cilio

Have you ever wondered who so many roads in Connecticut are called Sawmill or Millpond? On Thursday, August 5^th at 7:00 pm, the Ridgefield Library will host “The Energy of Falling Water: Connecticut’s Early Mills, with John Cilio” via Zoom.

Water-powered mills were built across Connecticut as early as 1650. In the early days, every small CT village had to depend upon itself for almost every necessity and water-powered mills were the answer. Communities often started around a sawmill or a gristmill. More factories whose machines were powered by water or other mills making hats, buttons, clocks, cider, plaster or iron works would follow. Connecticut water powered mills and factories expanded to serve a world market in the mid-1800s. Access to appropriate river sites wasn’t taken lightly and was one of the reasons Mark Twain said, “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.”

Please join us for an hour of interesting Connecticut and Ridgefield history as we highlight many of the water-powered mills that helped create the great state of Connecticut. To register and to receive the Zoom link, please visit our calendar at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org