The Humble Beginnings of Hydroelectric Power in Collinsville, Connecticut

By Janet M. Conner

PART II

The first turbines installed at the Collins Company in the late 1860s consisted of two large breast wheel water turbines connected by a shaft to two generators.  These were situated in a power house built near the first dam.  To insure against drought, and hence a disruption in production, the Collins Company constructed a secondary water supply.  It was located thirty miles north in Otis, Massachusetts consisting of a large reservoir that connected to the Farmington River.  A corporation known as the Farmington River Water Power Company was formed and Collins Company had the controlling interest.  There was a second dam constructed in 1912/1913 downriver about a mile in Avon on one side, and Burlington on the other.  This dam is eighteen feet high and 650 feet wide with a gate house on the Burlington side, and a power house on the Avon side.  Both structures are extant, but are mere shells of their former life.  In the gate house, there are lift gates with gears in stasis, evoking an ethereal feeling.  The power house is a two-story brick building with a now caved-in roof.  On the lower level are large concrete rings that once housed the huge water turbines that operated the two generators on the upper level.  All of the original equipment has long since been removed by the last owners, Hartford Electric and Light Company (HELCo) in 1966, when the Collins complex, sans buildings along the forebay, were donated to the State.  Again, surviving ruins still afford the ability to see how the power was generated, as there is a long concrete block retaining wall on the Avon side that acted as a raceway, channeling water into the powerhouse.

Collins Company was the first to use Lehigh coal.  The water color above by R.J. Holden depicts Lehigh coal being offloaded from a Farmington Canal barge at Woodford’s dock in Avon.  It was then transported by oxen drawn wagon to Collinsville.  Zenas Dyer was paid seventy-five cents per ton to haul the coal.  This effort took two days for a grand total of thirty-eight cents wages per day!  Some interesting statistics were that “the annual consumption of anthracite and other coal is 11,000 tons; of charcoal, 30,000 bushels; of steel 1,100 tons; of iron 5,000 tons; and of grindstones along 600 tons, which is literally ground into powder.” [ ] These grindstones, sourced in Nova Scotia, were 6 feet in diameter, 1 foot thick, each weighing 3 tons!!  Unfortunately, before the days of OSHA to protect worker health, many grinders at Collins Company died from inhaling stone dust, known as silicosis.

In viewing schematics, historical photographs, and maps, it is possible to see the layout of the water power system at Collins Company.  The map above, dated 1908 by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company (Library of Congress), shows the power canal, headraces, water sent into buildings to run machinery, and the tailrace back into the Farmington River.  The schematic by the Journal of the Society of Industrial Archaeologists (https://data.isiscb.org/p/isis/citation/CBB664531148) notes the location of the various generators in each building.  By 1900, the hydromechanical power was converted into hydroelectric power using nine small turbine/generator sets with a peak output of 1,500 kilowatts.  The Company afforded jobs and housing to hundreds and hundreds of immigrants from Prussia, Germany, Poland and other eastern Europeans.  In addition, just over the town line at Huckleberry Hill in Avon, there are surviving homes that were once owned by employees.  These immigrants brought their skills, customs, and culture to Connecticut’s early towns. 

The Collins Company became world renowned for its tools. The devastating floods of 1955 and other factors led to downturns in company profits and it closed in 1966.  In the late 1970s, conversations were initiated about the possible revitalization of the hydroelectric capabilities. The physical structures, created by the hard labor of so many individuals, still existed.  A plethora of obstacles had to be navigated before this could come to fruition.  In July 1979, the Army Corps of Engineers conducted a visual examination of both dams and appertaining structures necessary to their operation.  They rated the upper dam, in their report, as “intermediate” in size, with a hazard classification of “significant.”

At that time, there were five houses downstream that could be flooded with a foot of water, were there a breach in the dam.  Their overall assessment was that the dams were in “good” condition, however advised further evaluation by engineers.  About 40 years later, a company (GZA Geo Environmental) was engaged for a pre-feasibility study on restoring hydroelectric power.  Their report concluded, “Hydropower at the Upper and Lower Collinsville dams is also consistent with the history of the Town and its surroundings and restores a valuable resource to productive use.” [ ] These results led to the revitalization o the old plant by Canton Hydro LLC, in conjunction with WSS Wasserkraft of Austria, in 2015.  Today the ‘new’ facility generates 4.3 GWh of hydroelectric power each year.  There is also an amusement park ride-style fish ladder to convey fish over the dam.  This is an effort to repopulate the river with eel, shad, salmon, and alewife.  The plant has powered lift gates and a ‘rake’ to keep the inlet clear.  This modernized plant is exemplary in its design and capability, as compared to its rudimentary forerunners.

Currently there is a proposal to remove the lower dam, its gatehouse, and its powerhouse.  They are not necessary to the operation of the hydroelectric plant.  Historians, preservationists, environmentalists, and engineers are all working together with input from the communities, on the merits of this venture.  Special attention is being given to honoring the history that this dam and its structures, and the connection to the Collins Company’s story and its inherent immigrant story. Archaeological and Historical Services, Inc. was engaged to determine if there were any archaeological impacts from such removal.  Their report noted, “The dam, water conveyances, and hydropower installations are a prime example of how hydropower aided the growth of early American industry.”  It should be noted that the upper dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, however, the lower dam is not.  The transformation from an old gristmill site into a modern hydroelectric power generating site is impressive.  And perhaps there are now a lot of thriving fish species once again in the Farmington River!