Now Viewing:

Naugatuck


Connecticut Pin Makers

For the latter half of the 19th century and for much of the 20th century, Connecticut led the nation in pin production.

Read

Ad for Goodyear's patented Hay & Manure forks

Amasa Goodyear and Son Re-Invent Naugatuck

Born in New Haven, Amasa Goodyear was an inventor, manufacturer, merchant, and farmer.

Read

D-Day – Today in History: June 6

On the WWII homefront, night watchmen in Naugatuck’s factories heard the news of D-Day first.

Read

Mounds Candy Bar Involved in Espionage – Who Knew?

A storied Naugatuck business had its own “navy” and that it performed espionage services for the United States government during World War II.

Read

Excelsior Cutlery

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

Naugatuck Railroad Station

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

There’s No Place Like Home for the Designer of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers – Who Knew?

December 27, 2021 • Arts, Naugatuck, Popular Culture, 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

Straitsville Schoolhouse, Naugatuck

Child Labor vs. Schooling in 19th-century Naugatuck

September 4, 2021 • Henry Barnard, Education, Naugatuck, Work

The Naugatuck school system today consists of 11 public schools that provide a thorough contemporary education to over 4,000 students—but this was not always the case.

Read

African American baseball team, Danbury

Swinging for the Fences: Connecticut’s Black Baseball Greats

In Connecticut, African Americans played organized baseball as early as 1868, some of the game’s biggest stars played for teams throughout the state.

Read

Patent Model for the Manufacture of Rubber Fabrics, Charles Goodyear, 1844

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.

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

Miniature Boots, Wales Goodyear Shoe Company, Naugatuck

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

Over Time: Naugatuck’s Historical Population

January 27, 2014 • Hide Featured Image, Naugatuck

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

The Naugatuck Chemical Company with piles of old rubber tires

Naugatuck’s Early Chemical Industry

One of the attributes that made Naugatuck unique was that it was the home of Charles Goodyear, the inventor of vulcanized rubber.

Read

More Articles

 

Sign Up For Email Updates

Oops! We could not locate your form.