A Program Of
Major Support Provided By
Other CT Humanities Programs
Search results for: Naugatuck
Amasa Goodyear and Son Re-Invent Naugatuck
Amasa Goodyear was an inventor, manufacturer, merchant, and farmer. Born…
Read
Henry Bacon Helps Beautify Naugatuck
Best known for the Lincoln Memorial, this architect also designed a railroad station, WWI monument, and a bridge for Naugatuck.
Read
Child Labor vs. Schooling in 19th-century Naugatuck
The Naugatuck school system today consists of 11 public schools…
Read
A Candy Bar Empire in Naugatuck
Almond Joy and Mounds were two of the most popular candy bars sold by Naugatuck’s Peter Paul Manufacturing Company, an enterprise begun by Armenian immigrant Peter Halajian.
Read
Over Time: Naugatuck’s Historical Population
Census data, from colonial times on up to the present, is a key resource for those who study the ways in which communities change with the passage of time.
Read
Naugatuck’s Early Chemical Industry
Naugatuck, and much of its surrounding area, has traditionally been…
Read
Connecticut Pin Makers
For the latter half of the 19th century and for much of the 20th, Connecticut led the nation in pin production.
Read
Map – Connecticut Landmarks of the Constitution
A map of some of the Connecticut Landmarks of the Constitution researched and published by the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.
Read
Weaving the Cultural Fabric of Beacon Falls
The textile mills of the Naugatuck Valley brought tremendous change…
Read
Andover to Woodstock: How Connecticut Ended Up with 169 Towns
Religious mandates, the difficulties of colonial-era travel, and industrialization are a few of the forces that gave rise to the proliferation of towns in our state.
Read
The Legacy of David Miles Hotchkiss
David Miles Hotchkiss was an educator, abolitionist, and public servant…
Read
D-Day – Today in History: June 6
Naugatuck, Tuesday, June 6, 1944 Night watchmen in Naugatuck’s factories…
Read
Mounds Candy Bar Involved in Espionage – Who Knew?
…that a storied Naugatuck business had its own “navy” and…
Read
Connecticut Pocketknife Firms
Connecticut pocketknife production began around 1840. Over the next two decades, Connecticut became the earliest state to have a burgeoning craft.
Read
Ebenezer Bassett’s Historic Journey
This educator, activist, and associate of Frederick Douglass served the US as its first African American ambassador.
Read
There’s No Place Like Home for the Designer of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers – Who Knew?
Connecticut-born Adrian, the American clothing designer who found success in Hollywood, designed Dorothy’s ruby slippers for The Wizard of Oz.
Read
Waterbury Clock Company Saved by Mickey Mouse – Who Knew?
…that the Ingersoll Waterbury Company (now Timex) was saved from…
Read
The American Brass Company: Leading the Way in the “Brass Valley”
The American Brass Company helped make Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley a center of international brass production, but economic decline and foreign competition ended its run in the late 20th century.
Read
David Humphreys, Soldier, Statesman, and Agricultural Innovator
Despite an accomplished political career, this Derby-born gentleman of means is best remembered for introducing Merino sheep to North America.
Read
Brass City/Grass Roots: Bucks Hill: Waterbury’s Rural Holdout
This article is part of the digital exhibit “Brass City/Grass Roots: The Persistence of Farming in Waterbury, Connecticut”
Read
Swinging for the Fences: Connecticut’s Black Baseball Greats
In Connecticut, African Americans played organized baseball as early as 1868. In the years that followed, some of the game’s biggest stars played for teams throughout the state.
Read
A Tale of Shad, the State Fish
This aquatic inhabitant has a long history of influencing foodways, income, and culture in the region.
Read
Charles Goodyear’s Machine for Making Rubber Fabrics
Credited with discovering the vulcanization process that fortified rubber against extreme temperature changes, Charles Goodyear received several patents over his lifetime, including one for a machine that made rubber fabrics.
Read
Rivers of Outrage
Pollution of Connecticut’s waters by industrial waste and sewage in the decades after the Civil War was arguably the state’s first modern environmental crisis.
Read
Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Company Puts Best Foot Forward
Father and son George and Tracy Lewis not only founded…
Read
The Peace Movement in Litchfield
Connecticut saw no combat on its soil during the Civil War. Yet, the conflict left its mark on the state in ways that historians are still sorting out. This account details the war’s impact on two Connecticut towns.
Read
Torrington Recovers after the Flood of ‘55
In August of 1955, two hurricanes that moved through Connecticut…
Read
Hurricanes Connie & Diane Deliver Double Hit – Who Knew?
…that Hurricanes Connie and Diane, which struck within days of…
Read
Theodate Pope Riddle: Connecticut’s Pioneering Woman Architect
Despite opposition from a male-dominated profession and a lack of formal training, Theodate Pope Riddle became a pioneering female architect.
Read
Olin Library and The Debate About Open Space at Wesleyan University
The history of Wesleyan’s library system includes a debate that reveals how values associated with the environment in the early 1900s helped shape the campus’s development.
Read
Six Cities Respond to 1902 Waterbury Fire – Who Knew?
…that the fire, which swept through Waterbury on a stormy…
Read
The Van Vleck Observatory: A Reflection of Environmental Conditions
Designers of the Van Vleck Observatory overcame numerous environmental and geographical challenges to help Wesleyan University make an impact on the world’s understanding of the universe.
Read
An Overview of Connecticut’s Outdoor Sculpture
Public sculpture has punctuated the state for three centuries, reflecting the values of our communities, their times, and their funders.
Read
Preserving an All-American Downtown in Torrington
Torrington is a city aware of its architectural heritage. Its…
Read
Charles Goodyear and the Vulcanization of Rubber
Obsessive dedication transformed rubber into a viable commercial material and made the town of Naugatuck one of its leading manufacturing sites in the 1800s.
Read
Textile Mills in Oxford Dominated Early Industry
Domestic wool production is one of the oldest industries in…
Read
Over Time: Beacon Falls’ Historical Population
Census data, from colonial times on up to the present, is a key resource for those who study the ways in which communities change with the passage of time.
Read
Bethany: Small-town Perseverance in the Face of Growing Industrialization
One of the many contributions the town of Bethany makes…
Read
More