Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• American Hatters and Furriers Co. 1901-1960
• Connecticut Glue Co. 1904-Unknown
• Kingswood Kitchens, Inc. 1977-Present (2015)
• United Fur Co. 1964-1968
• W.A. & A.M. White Co. 1872-ca. 1897

Use (Historic)

• Apparel & Accessories
• Paper & Wood Products
• Rubber & Chemicals

Largest Documented Workforce

125 (1888)

Historic Narrative

The origins of the W.A. and A.M. White Company date to between 1825 and 1830 when E. Moss White became the first manufacturer in Danbury to develop a mechanized method for trimming fur used in hat production. Previous to White’s invention fur was trimmed by hand, a laborious and expensive process. White supplied fur for the hat-making shop operated by his son, William A. White, until 1839, whereupon the family business of W.A. and A.M. White was established for the purpose of producing mechanically-trimmed furs for Danbury’s burgeoning hat industry. Previous to the 1840s, the majority of the fur used by American hat manufacturers was imported from Germany or England. In 1842, however, Congress passed a tariff bill that imposed a duty of 25 percent on these goods. Rather than pay the tariff, the Whites proposed using domestic hare or coney (rabbit) skins, which were exempt from the tax. The company hired a German by the name of C.L. Klumpf, who was travel to the United States in order to instruct the firm on methods of processing hare and rabbit skins. This work was completed in New York under contract with the government of that state, which provided prison inmates to complete the work. At the completion of the contract in 1845 both Klumpf and the White’s machinery was brought back to Danbury where a permanent plant was established on Beaver Street. The majority of Danbury’s hat manufacturers did not process their own raw materials during the mid-19th century and the W.A. and A.M. White Company’s fur factory grew into one of the principle importers, processors, and suppliers of hatters fur in the city by the end of the century. The company established itself as one of the largest fur importers in the country and the firm’s Danbury plant processed upwards of 100,000 pelts per annum. The firm’s products were sourced globally and included North American beaver, European coney, Argentinean nutria, and South African wool. The W.A. and A.M. White fur factory was completely destroyed by fire in 1872, however, the mill was quickly rebuilt and operations resumed. The plant was eventually closed during the late 1890s, but was acquired in 1901 and reactivated by the newly-formed American Hatters and Furriers Corporation, a partnership between Charles Darling Parks of Danbury, and Joseph P. McGovern of New York. A self-made man, Parks was involved in a variety of hat- and fur-related businesses and rose to both social and financial prominence. The latter allowed him to purchase several significant Danbury properties, among these being a substantial country estate known as Tarrywile, and a stone mansion he dubbed Hearthstone Castle. In addition to restoring the processing of hatters’ furs in the old White plant, Parks maintained a firm dealing in animal hides and tallows, established the Danbury Fertilizer Company, and founded the Connecticut Glue Company, the latter sharing a portion of the Beaver Street factory. Organized in 1903, the Connecticut Glue Company took advantage of one of the byproducts of fur processing in its manufacture of ‘Pure Rabbit Skin Glue,’ a product that proved quite successful. American Hatters and Furriers occupied the Beaver Street plant until 1960, whereupon it fell vacant until 1964 when the United Fur Company took it over. United Fur survived until 1968. The factory again fell vacant up until 1977 when its present occupant, a cabinetry and furniture company, acquired the plant.

Number of Existing Buildings

Roughly seven (7) adjoining primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

ca. 1872, ca. 1880, ca. 1906, ca. 1910.

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Administration
• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former W.A. and A.M. White Company’s fur factory is comprised of approximately seven primary adjoining blocks located on the west side of Beaver Street, directly north of its intersection with Rose Street and Rose Hill Avenue. The oldest portions of the mill were erected ca. 1872 and consist of two red brick blocks situated at the northwest corner of the plant. These include a two-story, 48’ x 31’ machine shop with a side-gabled roof at the northern end of the mill, and a four-story, 60’ x 66’ block with a low-pitch gable roof that adjoins the aforementioned building’s west elevation. The latter was used for the storage, grinding, blowing, and cutting of pelts and is notable for its star-shaped masonry anchors, and narrow, segmental-arched windows with stone sills. A two-story, 27’ x 30’ red brick office building was erected adjoining the north elevation of the machine shop ca. 1910. This replaced a pre-existing office that was destroyed by a 1910 fire. The extant block has large segmental-arched window openings with stone sills and a flat roof with exposed rafter tails. A three-story, 55’ x 118’ manufacturing block was also erected adjoining the east side of the machine shop ca. 1910. This likewise replaced a section of the plant damaged by fire, however, the replacement was somewhat larger than the original structure. Like the office block, this building has large segmental-arched window openings with stone sills, however, the flat roof is lined with a plain brick parapet topped by tile coping. A two-story, 57’ x 63’ red brick storage building adjoins the southern elevation of the ca. 1910 manufacturing block. This was erected ca. 1880 and has a stone foundation, red brick walls, segmental-arched window openings with stone sills, a corbelled brick cornice, and a low-pitch gable roof. A red brick firewall delineates the building into northern and southern halves. The two remaining blocks associated with the former W.A. and A.M. White Company plant were actually built by the American Furriers and Hatters Corporation following a 1906 fire. These consist of a three-story, roughly 54’ x 114’ block adjoining the south elevation of the ca. 1872 manufacturing building, and a two-story, roughly 88’ x 34’ building linking the southern ends of the aforementioned ca. 1906 structure and the ca. 1880 storage building. The ca. 1906 construction is of simple styling and is characterized by stone foundations, segmental-arched window openings, low brick parapets, and flat roofs.

Exterior Material(s)

• Brick

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Steam
• Water (Turbine)

Condition

Fair

Condition Notes

The complex is in fair condition. All portions of the plant appear well maintained, however, the majority of the original windows have been replaced or infilled.

Specific Location

One legal parcel (70 Beaver Street) totaling 1.54 acres located on the west side of Beaver Street, directly north of its intersection with Rose Street and Rose Hill Avenue.

Adjacent To

• Railroad
• Water (for Transport)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• H13/286 / Link →

Acreage

1.54

Use (Present)

• Industrial

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

07/27/2015

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
4. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
5. Map of Fairfield County; Baker, William A., 1854.
6. Birdseye Map of Danbury, O.H. Bailey, 1875.
7. Birdseye Map of Danbury, L.R. Burleigh, 1884.
8. Sanborn Map Company, 1884, 1889, 1892, 1897, 1904, 1909, 1919, 1929, 1950.
9. Danbury; Danbury Museum & Historical Society, 2001.
10. Danbury’s Third Century; Devlin, William E. and Herbert F. Janick, Ph.D., 2013.