The steady economic growth of the city of Norwich during the 18th and 19th centuries was in part the result of the advantages afforded by its local geography. Situated at the confluence of the Shetucket and Yantic rivers emptying into the larger Thames River, Norwich and its waterfront became a nexus for commercial shipping to points on the globe as diverse as the West Indies and Europe.
The waterpower provided by the local rivers spurred the growth of textile manufacturing with four cotton textile mills built along the Shetucket River and four more textile mills for woolen products erected on the banks of the Yantic River. The advent of commercial steamboat shipping and the expansion of rail service during the early 19th century expanded opportunities for other manufacturers and spurred further industrial development.
By 1840, Norwich was the largest manufacturing center in the state of Connecticut according to a report by the Secretary of State’s office. By 1888, local manufacturers employed nearly twenty percent of the city’s citizens. Ponemah Mills, the second largest textile mill in the world annually manufactured 11,364 miles of cloth. Norwich Bleaching, Dyeing and Printing Company produced 28,409 miles of cloth during that same year.
Pistol manufacturers also flourished during this century. Though not as large as Colt Industries in Hartford or Winchester in New Haven, Norwich manufacturers like Hopkins & Allen and Bacon Arms Inc. produced 132,400 pistols and guns during the year 1888. The Chelsea Paper Manufacturing Company of Greenville was another thriving business employing 230 employees and producing ten million pounds of high quality paper each year. They routinely shipped paper to the Harper Brothers of New York for printing their robust roster of publications including Harper’s Bazaar and Harper’s Monthly.
Visit the library’s website to learn more about the explosive growth of business and manufacturing in Norwich during the 19th century by viewing the historical photos and text contained in the album Norwich: Business & Manufacturing 1888.