Picture Connecticut: A Thread Rich In History

WILLINGTON, CT — The next time you see Hawkeye Pierce operating on M*A*S*H, think twice where the sutures were made during the war.

Our latest journey to an image in Connecticut takes us to the Gardiner Hall Jr. History Museum, located inside a preserved red brick plant in South Willington.

The museum is a must-stop for those interested in industrial historical artifacts. One of the more fascinating pieces in the collection is a case of surgical sutures marketed to the military during the Korean War. The sutures made by Hall were also used in World War II.

The Gardiner Hall company at 156 River Road was operational from 1860 to 1954 and was America's first spooled thread manufacturing operation, according to local history. The factory complex was purchased by the New England Development Company in 1955 and sold off as smaller pieces. The original packing and shipping building, the dye and bleach house and six other pieces of the property were acquired by Tom and Irma Buccino in 1962 and are now called The Mill Works.

The museum explores the history of Willington, the contributions of its residents, the Hall Thread Company, the impact the Hall family had on the area and more.

The Hall family also operated a domestic water system in the heyday of the factory.

The complex is now operated by the Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art and Performance, also known as EC-CHAP. In addition to the museum, the Packing House serves as a performance venue and the property hosts a community art program and artist-in residence program.

See more at www.ec-chap.org.

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Picture Connecticut is a weekly series that features images of the state, past and present.Here are past images:

2024

• The Marketplace at Guilford Food Center Guilford
• Main Street at night, Middletown
• The Hide-and-Seek Bear, Tolland
• The MLK Mural, Manchester
• The Mount Southington Summit, Southington

2023

• All Faiths Gather At Town Park, Vernon
• Riverside Igloos, Milford
• The TPC Pro Shop, Cromwell
• The Santa House, North Pole, er, Northern Connecticut
• Mile 4 Funnel, Manchester Road Race, Manchester
• UConn Lacrosse Giving Back, Connecticut River Valley
• The Capitol Grounds Tour, Part 3, Hartford
• The Capitol Grounds Tour, Part 2, Hartford
• The Capitol Grounds Tour, Part 1, Hartford
• The Doughboy, East Hartford
• The Walt Whitman Stone, West Hartford
• The indoor bush plane, Hartford County
• The Big Pink Chair, Ellington
• The Notch, Granby
• The CT 9/11 Monument, Westport
• Vintage Gas Pump, Somers
• Tobacco Harvest, East Windsor
• Late Afternoon, Lakeside, Coventry
• Fogarea, New Haven County
• Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens, Washington Depot
• Connecticut River Police Boat, Rocky Hill
• The first dentist, Windsor
• The Frog Bridge, Willimantic
• The World War Bridge Rapids, Putnam
• The Peeking Cow, Tolland County
• The Ivy Lacrosse Tournament, New Canaan
• The Bradley International Airport runway, Windsor Locks
• The Underground Railroad, Unionville
• The cow carousel, Ellington
• Charles Island, Milford
• State Veterans Cemetery, Middletown
• Glastonbury-Rocky Hill Ferry, Glastonbury/Rocky Hill
• The Old County Jailhouse, Tolland
• Agent Orange Monument, Andover
• The Sunken Garden, Farmington
• Lafayette Tour Monument, Vernon
• The Pinchot Sycamore, Simsbury
• Bob's Discount Furniture Studios, Manchester