New Britain herald., 1924-04-03
Stanley Works, Ameri- can Hardware Corpo- ration and Landers, Frary and Clark Sec ond to None.
Skinner and Union Manu- featuring Company Plants Together Exceed Any Other City in Chuck Manufacturing.

From a small farming village, eIn- p'oying in the only shop probably one or two hands, New Britain has be- come the greatest hardware manufac- turing city in the world. Much credit being due to the farsightedness of those hardy settlers in the early days Of the village and town.
 The industrial life Of New Britain, singularly enough, had it's inception in farming. The first settlers being farmers the first mills quite naturally were flour and meal factories, later on saw mills and still later factories for the spinning and weaving which had { been carried on in private homes A shop for dyeing and fulling cloth was opened shortly after the lumber mill.
 The builders hardware business, which is tho greater portion of New Eritain's manufacturing business to- day began with the advent of the first small sawmill on a farm, from which step the manufacture of nails, spikes, window springs, etc., followed. Small Dlaslssmch shops turned out hand made tools. Axes, hoes, shoycls, tongs and even chains werem ado before the Revolutionary war.
 An industry now a matter of for gotten history was that of making cider brandy and at one time was a thriving business in this section.
 At one time cornmeal was ground in New Britain and shipped to tho West Indies, as were barrel hoops and slaves.
 Builders Hardware in f,S0.
 As early as 17S0 the builders hard ware industry had begun 10 make strides in this city, and from the books of James North, blacksmith, are found charges agaonst the accounts of "Benjamn Heart, "glijah Heart" James Booth, Lot Stanley, Joseph Jather, Levi Judd, Dr. Smalley and others. for making augurs, brads, briJle bits, balls. chest locks, com passes, cranks, chisels, crow bars, boxes, bush scythes, grips, hoes, hooks, hinges, knives keys, pitch forks, slaves, spikes, shovels. tongs, ramrods. spades, staples, sleigh irons, wedges. gun locks and great variety or similar objects.
 "rbe Tin Pcsldler.,
 The French and Indian war and the Revolutionary war stimulated Q demand for supplies in the comrnu- nity. The first commercial factory. | outside Of small blacksmith shops. vas established by William and .J1d-' ward Paterson. who came to this 1 country from Ireland with their sis 1 ter Anna in 1740 and started a shop | for the manufacture of tinware, which | was the beginning in this section of | what later developed that pictur- | esquc character known as The tin | peddler."
 In 1900. James North. son of the | blacksmith. and Joseph Shipman, son l or Sannuel Shipman, who had been | sent 10 Stockbridge 10 learn the brass | business and who had been conduct | ing a partnership, separated and es- | tablished brass factories of their own. |
 From this time on industries in New | Britain began to grow. In 1907 the I first corporation was formed and a factory for manufacturing jewelry | vas started.
 In IS10 Hezekiah c. whipple start ed q factory at the corner Of East | Main and Stanley streets for the man ufacture Of silver plated buckles. | cloak clasps. etc. In 1872 Seth ]. North and Alvin North formed a part nership with him. Jesse Hart, s0t Of ] Deacon Hart, built a water power | plant on the site Of the present New ] Britain National bank and made small cutlery and other hardware. The stream of water crossed Main i; street in a southerly direction and i, supplied Thomas Lee with power also for the making Of hardware. His shop | vas near the present site Of the First |, Congregational church.
 Where the New Britain Savings I bank now stands, Norman Woodruf lad a brass foundry. and Samuel Booth made bureau locks. bellows. pipes. etr., where the South church TOW stands.
 The var Of fsT2 put a number of small shops out Of business and the hardware business was confined to the North and Whipple company. Busi- ness fin general reverted to farming. and hot until after 1920 did the man. ufacturing industry revive. Some Of < The shops which had been closed were reopsned and new buildings erected. Il Tne making Of hooks and eyes for women's dresses began here under the direction of the North tamiIy. and was sistinetiy a New Britain enterprise.
 First Hooks and EycS. .l
 The first machine ro make hooks snd eyes was designed by Henry | North in ISs6. The business which grew from this became the Seth ].
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