Pin manufacturing: a profitable buisness

The making of pins was a very profitable business for Winsted. New England Pin Company and Union Pin were world leaders in the production of hair pins, pyramid pins, and pins that were used by clothing manufacturers. 

New England Pin Company was established by John G. Wetmore in 1854. It was incorporated in 1857, with capital totalling $100,000. N.E. Pin was formerly called Hartford Pin and was the largest manufacturer of hair pins and pyramid pins of its time in the entire country. The company also manufactured percussion caps, shoe laces, and braids. J.E. Spaulding served as secretary and treasurer of the company for over 25 years, and he and John G. Wetmore were reportedly highly respected by all who knew them. 

The original buildings that housed New England Pin were constructed on Bridge Street directly opposite the Naugatuck Railroad Station. In 1872, a three-story building was erected that measured 30x36 feet, and in 1879, a three-story brick building, measuring 24x102 feet, was added. In 1901, a five-story brick building, measuring 80x35 feet, was erected. This building was eventually occupied by Bridge Realty Company. At the Bridge Street crossing, there was a shanty that housed a gateman whose job was to warn pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages about oncoming trains. 

The output of New England Pin was enormous. About 125 skilled workers were employed, and at peak times they manufactured 12 million to 15 million brass, steel, and iron pins per day. The company filled orders promptly and shipped products to commercial centers in the United States and abroad. When New England Pin purchased the L.E. Warner hair pin plant in Oakville, it nearly doubled its production capacity. 

By 1925, New England Pin had capital of $200,000. In 1926, the company merged with the Star Pin and Detroit Pin companies and relocated to Derby. Their departure was a great loss for Winsted, as they had been one of the oldest and largest businesses in town. When New England Pin closed, the New England Knitting Company purchased all of the Bridge Street property. The Winsted Furniture Company eventually occupied a portion of the building. New England Pin also owned and operated the Winsted Paper Box Company at 10 Bridge St. It supplied not only boxes for their pins, but boxes for other locally manufactured goods as well. 

Union Pin Company was founded around 1910 by James Kelley and Peter Allison, reportedly in the basement of Kelley’s home in Torrington. James Kelley was a machinist who had invented an “improved” pin machine. He had formerly been employed by New England Pin Company and relocated his business to Winsted in 1913. The Union Pin factory building, which eventually housed the business, was located directly across from Highland Lake on West Lake Street. The building was originally occupied by Beardsley & Alvord, in 1856, as a pocket cutlery plant, and it had the distinction of using the first water privilege on the lake stream.

Union Pin was bought by Howard W. Light in 1915. Light expanded and updated the facility. His son, George S. Light, took over the business in 1934. Union Pin was the only factory in the country during its time that specialized in the manufacture of garment pins. It became the world’s leading producer of Trupoint brand stainless steel pins for nearly every major shirt, blouse, and pajama manufacturer in the world, including Arrow, Manhattan and Van Heusen. They also made safety pins and hook eyes. Their pins could be found on the counters of F.W. Woolworth, W.T. Grant, J.C. Penny, and Singer stores. 

Union Pin was one of Winsted’s most substantial industries, and its machinery was designed right in its own factory. In 1967, the Kirsch Company of Sturgis, Mich., purchased the business and operated it as a subsidiary, using local management and workers. The facility and equipment was expanded and the company nearly doubled its profits over the course of three years. 

Taken from “Brains, Money & Pluck: Profiles of Early Industries” by Verna Gilson, genealogy and local history research assistant, Beardsley & Memorial Library, Winsted.