Zadoc Benedict

Zadoc Benedict established the first hat factory on Main Street in Danbury, Connecticut in 1780.[1][2] It had 3 employees, and made 18 hats weekly.[3][4]

Legend holds that Benedict plugged a hole in his shoe with rabbit fur, and found that over time the fur turned into felt, and that he then developed a process of making hats from fur of locally available animals like rabbit and beaver.[5][6]

References

  1. Ciccio, Rosa (2014). "Moments in History: Danbury". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  2. Francis, William (1860). History of the Hatting Trade in Danbury, Conn. Danbury, Connecticut: H. & L. Osborne. p. 3.
  3. Pirro, John (1 Feb 2011). "The rise -- and fall -- of hatting in Danbury". Danbury News-Times. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  4. Bailey, James Montgomery. History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896.
  5. Varekamp, Johan. "'Mad Hatters' Long Gone, But The Mercury Lingers On". Daily University Science News. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  6. "THE MANUFACTURING PERIOD IN DANBURY" (PDF). Danbury Times.
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