Ira Dimock

Early Years

Born in Tolland, Ira Dimock’s family moved to South Willington when he was young. At 15, he worked in a Rockville woolen cloth mill tending to carding machines. He then went to Northampton and worked in a machine shop which he later ran with his brother Lucius.

Silk Manufacturer

In 1853, he purchased a silk mill in Mansfield which he was able to make turn a profit. He left Mansfield, eventually moving to the Nonotuck Silk Company in Florence, MA where he remained for the rest of his career. He served as president of the company that made silk thread.

Vanderbilt Mansion

Dimock moved to Hartford in 1877 at age 50. He lived on Church Street for 12 years before purchasing the Vanderbilt Mansion on Farmington Avenue in West Hartford in 1889. The 30-room mansion, made of brownstone, featured a five-story turret.