Colt Gun Mill & Allied Textile Printing (ATP)

 




The Patent Arms Manufacturing Company, one of Paterson, New Jersey's earliest industries, lies in ruins beneath the majestic Great Falls of the Passaic River. As tourists from all over the world flock to witness the Falls' breathtaking beauty, a monument to Samuel Colt, the inventor of the Colt revolver gun, languishes in a state of disrepair.


Samuel Colt's newly patented repeating firearm became a vital tool on the American frontier, and the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company produced roughly 5,000 musket rifles and revolvers. The Gun Mill, a four-story structure, was erected on the original site of a failed nail factory and rolling mill. In a nod to its purpose, the Gun Mill property was adorned with wooden gun picket fences, and even a weathervane shaped like a gun capping the belltower.






However, poor sales led to the company's demise around 1842, and it was taken over by partners John Ryle and G.W. Murray, founders of Allied Textile Printing (ATP), who began producing sewing silk and other textiles. They expanded and added numerous buildings to the original Gun Mill property. Samuel Colt, undeterred by this setback, purchased land in Hartford in 1851 and established the East Armory Company (Colt Armory), which remains standing to this day, punctuated by the striking 'Blue Onion Dome' that adorns the Hartford skyline. The building was partially destroyed by a fire, along with the Russian-inspired dome, on February 4, 1864, but was subsequently rebuilt. It is now home to several businesses and offices.





Unfortunately, I realized that I did not take a single photo of the Colt Gun Mill, but rather of the dilapidated buildings of the former Allied Textile Printing. Based on other pictures I found on other sites, the Gun Mill was constructed of stone, while other buildings were made of brick and steel girders, most likely the Allied buildings. One outbuilding was even used to manufacture radiators around the 1870s by Joshua Mason.


While the Colt Gun Mill may be in ruins, the Hinchliffe Stadium above the Great Falls was once vacant and is now undergone extensive renovation and is set to open sometime later this year. Likewise, the entrance to the Gun Mill/Allied Textile buildings was also open, as it abutted a viewing pad of the Great Falls. Although the site was fairly accessible to the public, it was not entirely safe, I can remember back in 2016, I came across people who were also curious as I am about the ruins. Once the general public feels safe to enter ruins of any kind because of curiosity, it is a good time to leave because other nefarious people also enter. At the time I was ‘solo doloing’, it still made me uneasy toting my camera around a place where the thicket of bushes and trees would give cover to assault and robbery.





Currently, the Gun Mill is fenced off to prevent trespassers and protect the shored-up buildings and state plans are underway to convert the area into an open-view historical park for public use soon. Further information on the plans can be found on the NJ.gov website. 

Other names associated: Colt Firearms, Colt Armory, 

Current Status: 

*Buildings remain still but fenced off from trespassers. Mar 2023





Source:

1. Archimede, Gianfranco, "The Colt Mill", Preservation NJ

2. "The Colt Gun Mill", Paterson Friends of the Great Falls

3. EsseXploreR, "The Colt Gun Mill/Allied Textile Mills", The Forgotten Past of New Jersey, December 11, 2015

4. Dragone, Gabriella, "$2.2 Million in Grants for Colt Gun Mill Stabilization and Vista Park Improvements Project Earns City Council Approval", TAPintoPaterson, February 19, 2023

5. Kofsky, Jared, "New Park Could Come to the Former Colt Gun Mill Site in Paterson", Jersey Digs, April 29, 2020

6. "The East Armory Complex", National Park Service

7. Valmontcsz, "Colt Gun Mill/Allied Textile Printers", VJUrbex, May 10, 2015

8. "Allied Textile Mill / Colt Patent Arms Paterson, NJ", SitesofNJ

9. "Samuel Colt | Double-Tapped Barrel Of The Colt Revolver", Obscurangulo, March 5, 2022

10. "Samuel Colt", History.com, March 29, 2023

11. "Islands of Abandonment", Lucky Cigarette

12. Giudice, Vinny, "Paterson Mill Fires", Paterson Fire Journal, June 22, 2008

13. Wallin, Brian, "Samuel Colt and His Legendary Model 1860 Army Revolver", Varnum Continentals, January 1, 2019

Location: Colt Gun Mill

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hendey Machine Co.'s Historic Complex in Torrington

Image
  One warm day, J and I set off to explore an old mill he’d discovered some time ago. The place was hidden away and seemed ideal for the kind of photos we loved taking—rustic spaces with that raw, forgotten feel. We entered casually through the front, our cameras ready, aiming to capture as much as we could before moving on to the other buildings. About 20 minutes into our shoot, J’s voice broke the silence. “There’s a white truck out front.” He’d spotted it from the second-floor window. I joined him, snapping a few more pictures along the way, trying to stay calm. We figured maybe it was someone stopping by briefly. But just as I was getting my last shot in, I saw movement at the entrance. A man stepped inside, chatting on the phone. Alarmed, J and I ducked behind a wall, hearts racing. Before we knew it, three more people had joined him—a second man, a woman, and a small dog. We realized, with sinking dread, that it was the property owner, likely giving contractors a tour and get...
Read more

Inside the Old Remington Munitions Factory

Image
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to visit the Remington Munitions Factory three times, each visit a unique experience. The first time, I ventured there alone, driven by curiosity to explore what remained of the once-bustling industrial complex. Back then, the neighborhood was far from welcoming, and my solo exploration felt risky. However, the allure of the factory’s history and its remnants was too strong to resist. Upon arrival, the decay was evident. The complex was a shadow of its former self, ravaged by time and neglect. Scrap metal scavengers had stripped the buildings of valuable copper, steel, and iron. Every surface was a canvas for graffiti, a mix of juvenile doodles and more elaborate street art left by local kids and adventurous visitors. A fire in 2017 had already claimed part of one building, and the area had a reputation for violence, with frequent assaults and shootings on Barnum Avenue. Despite the deterioration, the factory had a certain haunting beauty, esp...
Read more

Derby Feed Company

Image
  In Derby, a quiet transformation has taken place, one that tells a story of economic ambition, missed opportunities, and a community left to wonder what might have been. Back in 2016, the site of the former Derby Garden Center and Derby Feed Co. was little more than a memory. The buildings had already been torn down, leaving behind rocky soil and empty foundation pads. The only remnant of the feed company’s once-busy operation was a towering grain silo at the back of the property. Its ladder hooks had been sawed off, ensuring no adventurous climber could scale the now-defunct structure. For years, the silo stood as a symbol of the company’s legacy—a place that had provided feed materials to countless customers. But even that was eventually removed, demolished by the city to make the land more appealing to developers eager for a clean slate. Fast forward to December 2024, and the site has found a new purpose as a home for a construction materials business. Yet, the surrounding are...
Read more

Former Empire State Dairy Company

Image
Update May 2024:   The Highland at 2480 Atlantic Avenue, the site of the landmarked Empire State Dairy Company complex in East New York is now available for leasing. The site has undergone a massive redevelopment. Check it out sometime. The exterior scaffolding and netting are now down. The Architecture The property in question encompasses 0.72 acres, bordered by Schenck Avenue to the west, residential properties to the south, Barbey Street to the east, and Atlantic Avenue to the north. This site boasts a rich history of diverse commercial and industrial uses. Dating back to the 1890s, it served as a dairy bottling facility before accommodating companies such as the Royal Plastics Corporation and/or Allied Tile Co. After the cessation of dairy operations, businesses that utilized petroleum products, solvents, and hydraulic fluids occupied the site, leading to subsurface contamination over time. The dairy complex has remained vacant since around 2020, and after the owner of Ro...
Read more

Herrmann Aukam & Co A Legacy of Handkerchief Manufacturing

Image
Founded in 1906, Herrmann-Aukam & Co. emerged as a key player in the world of handkerchief manufacturing, setting up its base in New York with factories in places like Lebanon, PA, Belfast, Ireland, and South River, NJ. Their property in South River was a sizable, industrious hub: a sprawling 128,000 square feet across five interconnected brick buildings, with two and a half acres of open land. There was even a railroad shed served by the Raritan River Railroad, linking it to the Central Railroad of New Jersey and creating a critical route for distribution. Originally, Herrmann-Aukam had acquired their first mill in 1882, and soon after, they began producing handkerchiefs in full force. Their products ranged from plain and hemstitched white handkerchiefs to the distinctive blue and red bandannas that became favorites among workers and mechanics. The company invested heavily in state-of-the-art upgrades, including a new power plant and Swiss embroidery machines. These machines allow...
Read more