Eunice Cobb Stocking's husband George, and their four sons worked at the George Stocking Gun Powder Mill in the section of South Glastonbury known as Cotton Hollow during the Revolutionary War. Their mill was located on a sixteen acre tract of land on the north side of Roaring Brook, about 1500 feet east of Main Street.
Their gunpowder was made of charcoal, potash and sulphur. It was believed that the charcoal was furnished by Glastonbury residents. The mill made a heavy grade of powder and a very fine, highly explosive powder. This fine grade of powder was used in very small amounts to ignite the heavy powder in the Flintlocks.
On August 23, 1777, Eunice Stocking was in the area of Bolton, returning on horseback from the outskirts of Boston, where she had been making plans for the delivery of gunpowder to Washington's Army. She had a premonition of what had happened when she heard the explosion and saw the dark cloud of smoke. She rushed home to find her husband George(age 50) and her sons, George Jr. (age 28), Hezekiah (age 22), and Nathaniel (age 19) had perished in the fire. Her son Elisha had survived by being away from the mill on an errand.
The mill was completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, possibly caused by lightening or from static. The explosion also badly damaged a nearby bridge over Roaring Brook, which was never rebuilt. The bridge abutments and part of the mill foundation are still visible today.
With financial assistance, Mrs. Stocking rebuilt the mill and continued to supply the Continental Army until the end of the Revolutionary War.
Headstone Reads:
In memory of Mrs. Eunice Stocking wife of Mr. George Stocking who died May 19th, 1795 in the 67th year of her age.
Their gunpowder was made of charcoal, potash and sulphur. It was believed that the charcoal was furnished by Glastonbury residents. The mill made a heavy grade of powder and a very fine, highly explosive powder. This fine grade of powder was used in very small amounts to ignite the heavy powder in the Flintlocks.
On August 23, 1777, Eunice Stocking was in the area of Bolton, returning on horseback from the outskirts of Boston, where she had been making plans for the delivery of gunpowder to Washington's Army. She had a premonition of what had happened when she heard the explosion and saw the dark cloud of smoke. She rushed home to find her husband George(age 50) and her sons, George Jr. (age 28), Hezekiah (age 22), and Nathaniel (age 19) had perished in the fire. Her son Elisha had survived by being away from the mill on an errand.
The mill was completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, possibly caused by lightening or from static. The explosion also badly damaged a nearby bridge over Roaring Brook, which was never rebuilt. The bridge abutments and part of the mill foundation are still visible today.
With financial assistance, Mrs. Stocking rebuilt the mill and continued to supply the Continental Army until the end of the Revolutionary War.
Headstone Reads:
In memory of Mrs. Eunice Stocking wife of Mr. George Stocking who died May 19th, 1795 in the 67th year of her age.
Eunice Cobb Stocking's husband George, and their four sons worked at the George Stocking Gun Powder Mill in the section of South Glastonbury known as Cotton Hollow during the Revolutionary War. Their mill was located on a sixteen acre tract of land on the north side of Roaring Brook, about 1500 feet east of Main Street.
Their gunpowder was made of charcoal, potash and sulphur. It was believed that the charcoal was furnished by Glastonbury residents. The mill made a heavy grade of powder and a very fine, highly explosive powder. This fine grade of powder was used in very small amounts to ignite the heavy powder in the Flintlocks.
On August 23, 1777, Eunice Stocking was in the area of Bolton, returning on horseback from the outskirts of Boston, where she had been making plans for the delivery of gunpowder to Washington's Army. She had a premonition of what had happened when she heard the explosion and saw the dark cloud of smoke. She rushed home to find her husband George(age 50) and her sons, George Jr. (age 28), Hezekiah (age 22), and Nathaniel (age 19) had perished in the fire. Her son Elisha had survived by being away from the mill on an errand.
The mill was completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, possibly caused by lightening or from static. The explosion also badly damaged a nearby bridge over Roaring Brook, which was never rebuilt. The bridge abutments and part of the mill foundation are still visible today.
With financial assistance, Mrs. Stocking rebuilt the mill and continued to supply the Continental Army until the end of the Revolutionary War.
Headstone Reads:
In memory of Mrs. Eunice Stocking wife of Mr. George Stocking who died May 19th, 1795 in the 67th year of her age.
Their gunpowder was made of charcoal, potash and sulphur. It was believed that the charcoal was furnished by Glastonbury residents. The mill made a heavy grade of powder and a very fine, highly explosive powder. This fine grade of powder was used in very small amounts to ignite the heavy powder in the Flintlocks.
On August 23, 1777, Eunice Stocking was in the area of Bolton, returning on horseback from the outskirts of Boston, where she had been making plans for the delivery of gunpowder to Washington's Army. She had a premonition of what had happened when she heard the explosion and saw the dark cloud of smoke. She rushed home to find her husband George(age 50) and her sons, George Jr. (age 28), Hezekiah (age 22), and Nathaniel (age 19) had perished in the fire. Her son Elisha had survived by being away from the mill on an errand.
The mill was completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, possibly caused by lightening or from static. The explosion also badly damaged a nearby bridge over Roaring Brook, which was never rebuilt. The bridge abutments and part of the mill foundation are still visible today.
With financial assistance, Mrs. Stocking rebuilt the mill and continued to supply the Continental Army until the end of the Revolutionary War.
Headstone Reads:
In memory of Mrs. Eunice Stocking wife of Mr. George Stocking who died May 19th, 1795 in the 67th year of her age.
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