- Ivoryton
Ivoryton is a small village in the town of Essex in the state of
Connecticut in theUnited States . It was known for its production ofpiano s in the early 20th century and takes its name from theivory industry that imported tusks to be shaped into the covering for piano and organ keys. There is not a single town, city, or place named Ivoryton anywhere else in the world.At its height, 90% of the ivory in the United States went through Ivoryton.Fact|date=July 2007 The Comstock and Cheney Company essentially ran the area, building two factories, a store, recreation hall, sports field, and housing complex in the area.
The oldest known historical document relating to Ivoryton is the 1880 document authorizing the building of a town post office.Fact|date=July 2007
Places
Ivoryton Library
The Ivoryton Library is one of two libraries in the town of Essex. It has a smaller collection than the Essex Library but still maintains numerous books.
Ivoryton Store
The Comstock, Cheney and Co. factory store was located at the corner of Main Street and Ivory Street for years. It later became Rose Brothers, another grocery store, and, more recently, was the Ivoryton Store. The Ivoryton Store relocated to Route 153 in Essex and the building in Ivoryton is currently empty but has been recently renovated.
Ivoryton Inn
The former housing center for the workers at Comstock, Cheney and Co., the building became known as the Ivoryton Inn. The Inn has since closed, and today contains a small restaurant. It sits off Main Street, across from the first Comstock and Cheney factory. The Ivoryton Inn was purchased by Mark C. Yellin & Asssociates, LLC of Farmington, CT in 2000. The Inn has recently been renovated and a new sprinkler system installed. 12 of the 30 sleeping rooms with private baths, have been refurbished as of August 2008. The 200 person ballroom, the historic bar, the two brick patios and two restaurant areas have been renovated. The Ivoryton Inn will soon be open as a wedding, party, social,meeting, conference, event etc. venue. The sleeping rooms and suites will be rented to the general public. The balance of the 30 sleeping rooms and suites will be completed in 2008 and 2009.
Post Office
One of Essex's three post offices sits in Ivoryton, serving those residents with a zip code of 06442.
Fire Station
Essex has two fire stations, one of which is located in Ivoryton on Summit Street. It is technically a sub-station, but has several trucks and other capacities. It is known for its horn, which blows every day at noon and seven times when there is a fire.
Churches
There is at least one church in Ivoryton, and one may say two, depending on where the line between Ivoryton and Centerbrook is drawn. The Epsicopal Church sits next to the Inn on Main Street. The Congregational Church sits down the road towards Centerbrook.
Ivoryton Playhouse
The
Ivoryton Playhouse , formerly therecreation hall for the workers of Comstock, Cheney and Co., is currently a year-round professionaltheater , with its shows produced by the Ivoryton Playhouse Foundation. It sits on the corner of Main Street and Summit Street.Comstock Field
Comstock Field is a
public sports field with twobaseball fields and asoccer field. It is located at the end of Park Road, which is off Walnut Street. It was built by the Comstock and Cheney Company for their company baseball team and is used by EssexLittle League today.The Piano Factories
The First Factory
The first factory sits off Main Street, across from the former Ivoryton Inn. It is a large, white building, which was bought by Pratt and Read from
Deep River and is currently used by Moeller Instrument Company.The Second Factory
The second factory was built after the turn of the century by Comstock and Cheney. It is much bigger than the first factory, and features several tall office-type buildings as well as manufacturing floors. It has a smoke tower, a clock tower and a water tower behind it which reads 'PIANOS.' It was also bought by Pratt and Read Company and was later used by Sohmer Piano Company. Today, it serves as a light industrial/commercial complex serving a number of small businesses.
External links
* [http://ivoryton.com/ Ivoryton Library Association (with town history)]
* [http://www.newenglandtravelplanner.com/wheretogo/ct/ct_river/essex/ivoryton.html New England Travel Planner entry]
* [http://www.hometownlocator.com/City/Ivoryton-Connecticut.cfm hometown locator's community profile]
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