An unincorporated village in the southwestern part of the town of Glastonbury, it lies in the northern part of the Middletown pegmatite district near a swarm of heavily quarried pegmatite dikes just east of State Route 17. Coordinates are for the intersection of State Routes 17 and 160. The sublocalities listed are those whose mineralogy and history are documented in print and/or by field observations/collecting and whose locations are confirmed or reasonably certain despite some rather vague descriptions in old references. The positions of some old localities, such as the "Old Wiarda" quarry, is so uncertain that, to avoid redundant locality pages (many localities have multiple names), they have not been included on mindat.org, unless more information becomes available. There are many other small quarries and prospects whose locations are known, particularly see Betts (1996 and 1999), but that lack documented history or mineralogy and need field work and coordinates to be added to mindat.org.
Roaring Brook, which flows through the village, was the site of feldspar milling, as described by Harte (1945): The "old Wiarda mill...was located on Roaring Brook, in South Glastonbury, and had a capacity of 15 tons per 12 hours; the Howe [mill], a short distance below it, on the same brook, had two chasers - Wiarda had but one - and could produce 27 tons in the same time".
Bastin (1910) also describes the mills:
"John C. Wiarda feldspar mill. This mill, at South Glastonbury, is equipped with one chaser for crushing the feldspar and three small-sized tube mills. The capacity of the mill is said to be about 15 tons in twelve hours. A considerable amount of the material produced by this firm is used in glass manufacture and enamel ware."
"Howe mill. The Howe mill, at South Glastonbury, is operated during part of the year by water power of Roaring Brook and during the remainder of the year by steam power. Its capacity is said to average about 27 tons in twelve hours. The equipment includes 2 chaser mills and 5 tube mills, each 7 feet in diameter and 5 feet long."
From both mills, the ground spar was shipped in bulk or in bags, was hauled 1 mile to Connecticut River and was ferried across to Rocky Hill, where it was shipped by rail.
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References
- Betts, John. (1996): The Quarries and Minerals of South Glastonbury, Connecticut. George F. Kunz Competition Papers 1996. New York Mineralogical Club.
- Betts, John. (1999): The Quarries and Minerals of the Dayton Road District, South Glastonbury, Connecticut. Rocks and Minerals. Volume 74, Number 2. pp. 110-121.
- Harte, Charles Rufus. (1945): Connecticut's Minor Metals and Her Minerals. Proceedings of the Connecticut Society of Civil Engineers, 61st Annual Report.
- Bastin, Edson S. (1910): Economic Geology of the Feldspar Deposits of the United States. U. S. Geol. Survey Bull. 420.
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