Historical Bristol

Historical Bristol. Industry in the Post-Civil War Era. , After the Civil war, Bristol's economy shifted to the production of rubber goods. In 1865, August O. Bourn established the National Rubber Company on Wood Street and began manufacturing rubber using vulcanizing technology, which had been recently released from patent protection. The National Rubber Company employed approximately 600-700 people and made rubberized clothing, boots, and shoes. Raw materials were brought to the factory's wharf on Thames Street at the foot of Constitution, and then carried by rail from Thames Street to Franklin Street, where a spur brought them directly to the plant's Wood Street site., The 1880s saw major expansions and the construction of eight new structures at the plant. In 1888, the plant was purchased by Samuel Pomeroy Colt and merged with other rubber producers outside of Bristol to form the United States Rubber Company. By 1901, 37 buildings filled the 19 acre site and 1500 workers were employed making belting, packing, hoses, covered wire, and shoes. World War I increased demand for these products and by 1920, over 4000 people were employed, making the US Rubber Company the town's largest employer. In 1957, Kaiser Aluminum took over the plant and manufactured aluminum cable until 1977, when the plant closed., The National/US Rubber Company and the Kaiser Aluminum Factory had pushed Bristol's development to the east, creating space along the waterfront for new industries. While boatbuilding was a long-standing waterfront operation in Bristol, changing maritime technology led to the development of several new boat-related operations during this time. In the 1840s, Joseph L. Gardner began constructing steam-powered boats at the foot of Constitution Street. By the 1870s, Thompson, Stanton and Company had opened a boat building operation near Pierce's wharf at the foot of Oliver Street. And, around that same time, Saunders and West took over Gardner's site to form a yacht-building business. In 1877, an early form of the Bristol Yacht Club was founded., Of all the boat building companies in Bristol, the largest and most notable was the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. This operation was founded by John Brown Herreshoff, who, despite being blind, was a skilled boatbuilder. In 1863, he opened his business in an old tannery building, previously the C.F. Hereshoff's boot manufacturing company, located on the Hope Street waterfront, just south of the downtown area. A year later, he moved his business just across the street into the then-vacant Burnside Rifle Factory, on Burnside Street. At this location, JB Herreshoff produced both sail- and steam-powered pleasure craft and utility boats., In 1878, he was joined by his brother, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, a naval architect and steam engineer, and the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company was officially incorporated. At this time, the brothers constructed two large sheds on the waterfront near the foot of Burnside Street. The foundations of those sheds still survive as part of Herreshoff Marine Museum. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company established a national reputation for quality design and engineering, which resulted in fast but stylish boats. The company also built passenger steamboats, schooners, fishing boats, and military crafts, but they are best known for their America's Cup defenders. Between 1893 and 1930, five Herreshoff Manufacturing Company boats won the America's Cup.