Collinsville, CT

While Jen went to a bridal shower this afternoon in Canton, CT, I explored the antique shops and farmer’s market in nearby Collinsville. The factory, and later town, was founded in 1826 by two Collins brothers and a cousin, who built a mill on the nearby river and created, as described by a book published in 1872, “one of the greatest industries of the United States… The [Collins Company] was renowned for having produced the first mass-produced and pre-sharpened axes and became the largest manufacturer of edged tools in the world.” The town’s streets, hotel, and Congregational church sprung up around the factory, and the company even owned some of the homes it rented out to its employees. The corporation ceased production in 1966, after 140 years of supplying tools and weapons (you can still find on EBay Civil War bayonets and WWII machetes made by the Collins Company). This is a photo of the old factory, built around 1904(?)

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