The New Haven Manufacturers Association premiere a new video commemorating 100 years of manufacturing at a Sept. 19 meeting, at Housatonic Community College.
Mayor Bill Finch of Bridgeport and Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. of New Haven will keynote the event.
Southern Connecticut has a long and storied history in the manufacturing arena, starting with Eli Whitney's famous factory on the Mill River. Early members of the Employers' Association included the Winchester and Marlin gun manufacturers, the A.C. Gilbert Co., the New Haven Railroad and the Whitney Blake Co. Among current members, C. Cowles & Co. and Sargent Manufacturing Co., both of New Haven, have been members the longest.
Cowles began making lanterns for horse-drawn carriages in 1838 and now makes precision auto components. Sargent began making locks and architectural hardware in 1810 for the building industry.
