Coffee grinder

This coffee grinder was manufactured in Cheshire between 1840 and 1846 by the Mix brothers, John and Titus, in a factory leased from Edward A. Cornwall, who held several town offices and served in the General Assembly. The factory building was located approximately where the present Farmington Canal Heritage Trail crosses Cornwall Avenue with a canal lock was nearby.

When the Canal was abandoned in 1846, John and Titus Mix moved their operations to Rag Hollow (now a part of Prospect), along the Ten Mile River in the section of Cheshire that had become known as Mixville. It was named Mixville due to the several small shops operated there by John and Titus' relative, William Mix. In 1853, they organized the Mix Mfg. Co. to manufacture Britannia ware and small household accessories, along with bits, augers, gimlets, and clay buttons.

Rag Hollow was so named because William Mix, who was a relative of John and Titus Mix, had developed a way of using rags tied to a spinning shaft for polishing Britannia metal, a type of silvery-looking pewter alloy mostly used for cutlery and serving pieces. The steep terrain of Prospect Ridge allowed for fast-running streams, including Ten Mile River, used to power the shafts, and for a time Rag Hollow was the center of several manufacturing plants. The part of Rag Hollow in Cheshire was later renamed Mixville in honor of the manufacturing family.

Today, Mixville is still the home of a manufacturing firm, Consolidated Industries, which supports the aerospace industry. But the area is perhaps best known to townspeople as the location of the Mixville Recreation Area, which is used for swimming, sledding, picnicking, and fishing.

The Manual Coffee Grinder had been invented in the 17th century as a way to easily grind up coffee beans.

How the coffee grinder works: coffee beans are put in the bowl, the handle is turned multiple times, and the coffee grinds fall into the wooden drawer below. The wood drawer is then pulled open to reveal the ground-up coffee beans, ready for brewing.

A digital image of the 1868 Beers Map of Cheshire, shown below, indicates the location of the Mix Mfg. Co. (circled). Today, the Consolidated Industries factory is located in the vicinity.