Waterbury Brass Mill
History
The Waterbury Brass Company was founded in 1846, by a group of businessmen led by Israel Holmes, a Waterbury industrialist who had previously engaged in other brass works. The company acquired a water privilege on the Mad River, and built its mill on the river's north bank. By the late 1850s the company was rolling more brass than any other brass company in the region, whose output dominated brass production in the nation. In 1852, the company acquired rights to the processes for manufacturing brass kettles, and soon became the major manufacturer of that item.
The company was merged into the American Brass Company in 1899; this company was formed by the merger of most of the major brassmakers in the Naugatuck River valley. Its plant continued to be used until 1905, when the major buildings were dismantled.
The archaeological remains of its plant are located in the southeast part of Hamilton Park. Although one much-altered building remained of the complex when the site was listed on the National Register in 1975, now only wall fragments and turbine pits survive as detectable remnants of the site.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Waterbury Brass Mill". National Park Service. Retrieved May 12, 2021. With accompanying pictures