Built in 1935, this powerhouse housed a low-head, Francis-type turbine and a General Electric remote controlled generator that The Collins Company purchased from a municipality in Lenoir, North Carolina and brought to Collinsville by rail. Collins Company employees built the powerhouse, canal, dam, and control gates and installed the generator under the direction of plant engineer Guy F. Whitney. As a riparian owner, The Collins Company held a controlling interest in the Farmington River Water Power Company, a Massachusetts chartered organization. The Farmington River watershed above the Collinsville dam covers more than 330 square miles and produces more than 21 billion gallons of water annually. This was one of five turbines The Collins Company built to supply electricity for its own operations, with excess power sold into the state's power grid and purchased by HELCO (CL&P). The Collins Company was known worldwide for manufacturing high-quality edge tools, including machetes for South American and Central American countries and axes for domestic markets.