Historic Mills of Connecticut

Companies Associated w/Complex

• Better Packages Co. 1917-ca. 1927
• Better Packages, Inc. ca. 1927-2014

Use (Historic)

• Consumer Products, Small Appliances

Largest Documented Workforce

137 (1951)

Historic Narrative

The earliest buildings on this site were erected in 1885 to house an electric generation station. This was powered by a water wheel and two 50 horsepower gasoline engines and provided electricity to customers in the vicinity of downtown Shelton. By 1892, the station had outgrown the plant and it was subsequently moved across the river and relocated within the first buildings constructed along the Derby Canal. The vacated buildings then passed to the Derby Rubber Company, a rubber reclamation firm that maintained an office and factory on the site until the early 1920s. In 1924, the plant was acquired by the Better Packages Company, which had been founded in 1917 by Theodore H. Krueger. Krueger’s firm specialized in the production of gummed tape sealing machines, which automatically moistened the gum adhesive used on water-activated paper packing tape – the latter invented by Thomas Edison in 1912. The devices were primarily used by industrial or commercial shipping departments, however, smaller countertop models were popular among retail establishments, which found the system less expensive and time consuming than tying packages with twine. Reorganized as Better Packages, Incorporated ca. 1925, by 1935 the firm had established itself as the leading producer of gummed tape sealing machines in the country. That year the firm operated sales and service offices in 44 cities throughout the United States, with additional offices found abroad. The company maintained its headquarters and factory in Shelton until May 2014, whereupon it relocated to Ansonia, Connecticut. The firm remains a world leader in the production of water-activated tape dispensers, and moved from this location to Ansonia in 2014.

Number of Existing Buildings

Four (4) primary blocks.

Dates of Construction

1885, ca. 1920

Architect

n/a

Builder

n/a

Building Type

• Mill
• Warehouse / Production Shed

Architectural Description

The former Better Packages Company complex is comprised of four adjoining blocks with a total frontage of roughly 132 feet on the north side of Canal Street. The buildings range between one and two stories tall and have a mix of pitched and flat roofs. The oldest sections of the complex were constructed in 1885 and have red brick walls with brick piers, segmental-arched door and window openings, brownstone stills, and simple brick cornices. The exterior walls have been painted and a number of the doors and windows openings have been boarded up. Those that remain operational have replacement vinyl sash or modern metal doors. A square brick chimney rises from the center of the complex. Significant enlargement of the plant was completed ca. 1920. This included the construction of a one-story concrete block addition to the east (rear) side of the central block, and a two-story frame warehouse and shipping block at the northwest corner of the complex. The latter stands directly north of blocks housing the factory’s former office and boiler room. These front on Canal Street and have front-gabled roofs hidden behind brick parapets.

Exterior Material(s)

• Aluminum Siding or Paneling
• Brick
• Wood

Structural System(s)

• Load Bearing Masonry
• Wood Frame

Roof Form

• Flat
• Gable

Roof Material

• Asphalt
• Tar and Gravel

Power Source

• Electricity
• Water (Wheel)

Condition

Fair, Deteriorated

Condition Notes

All portions of the building are in generally fair condition, however some of the brick exterior walls are deteriorated and thick vines cover the rear block.

Specific Location

0.94 acres

Adjacent To

• Water (for Power)

Exterior Visible from Public Road?

Yes

Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link

• 129.-16 (for record, use link and type in address or parcel number) / Link →

Acreage

0.94

Use (Present)

• Vacant

Form Completed By

Lucas A. Karmazinas

Date

10/27/2014

Bibliography

1. List of Connecticut Manufacturers, 1922, 1924, 1930, 1932.
2. Directory of Connecticut State Manufacturers, 1936, 1939.
3. Atlas of New Haven County, Beers, Ellis & Soule Co., 1868.
4. Derby and Shelton Bird’s Eye View, 1898.
5. Shelton Bird’s Eye View, 1919.
6. Industrial Directory of Connecticut, 1947.
7. Register of War Production Facilities in Connecticut, 1951.
8. Sanborn Map Company, 1924, 1949.
9. Aerial Survey of Connecticut, 1934, 1965.
10. Tercentenary Pictorial and History of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, Malloy, Leo T., 1935.