Then and Now, Nov. 6, 2024

In the middle of the 19th century, the southern bank of the Winooski River to the west of Northfield Street — then part of the town of Berlin — was lined with a rambling collection of industrial buildings (see the fronts of these buildings in The Bridge, July 5, 2022). Occupants of these buildings, perched on a stone retaining wall that brought the factories as close to the river as possible, made saddlery hardware, springs, candy-cutting machinery, clothes wringers, lumber, and clothespins. Various sections of these buildings were demolished during the first half of the 20th century. The old clothespin factory at the left side of the photograph was finally torn down in 1951, and the road in front of it was widened in 1958. In December 1959 a gas station was built at the site, signaling the end of an era, but the factories’ retaining wall has remained, impacting the flow of the river.