Hurwood Company facts for kids
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Hurwood Company
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 379 Summer St., Southington, Connecticut |
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| Area | 4.8 acres (1.9 ha) |
| Built | 1885 |
| Architectural style | Industrial vernacular |
| Part of | Plantsville Historic District (ID88002673) |
| MPS | Historic Industrial Complexes of Southington TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002681 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 8, 1988 |
| Designated CP | December 1, 1988 |
The Hurwood Company is a really old group of factory buildings in Southington, Connecticut. It's located at 379 Summer Street. These buildings were first built before 1884. They show what factories looked like in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Guess what? This is where the very first solid-headed screwdrivers were made! Because it's so important, the Hurwood Company was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Story of Hurwood Company
The Hurwood Company buildings are found north of the village of Plantsville. They are on the east side of Summer Street. A walking and biking path, the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, runs between the buildings and the street.
What the Buildings Look Like
The Hurwood Company has more than a dozen buildings. They are all connected and sit on over 4 acres of land. Two main brick buildings stand out. One is two stories tall, and the other is one story.
Behind the taller building, there's a large steel forge shed. It has a special roof called a monitor roof. Many smaller buildings are attached to these main structures. A newer building connects them near the back.
A Look Back in Time
The oldest parts of the Hurwood Company are the two brick buildings. They were already standing by 1885. They were likely built by the Connecticut Motor Company. This company made electric motors.
In 1901, two people named George Wood and John Hurley started making solid-headed screwdrivers here. Their company was called Hurwood. Just four years later, in 1905, a bigger company called Stanley Tools bought Hurwood.
Stanley Tools kept making screwdrivers and chisels in the left brick building. They continued this work through the first half of the 1900s. The large forge building was added around 1915. The right brick building later became part of Thompson Drop Forge, another local factory.
Factories like the Hurwood Company used to be common in Southington. Now, they are becoming quite rare. This makes the Hurwood Company an important piece of history!
