Zadoc Benedict was a hat manufacturer who 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. He then supposedly developed a process of making hats from the fur of locally available animals, like rabbit and beaver.[5][6]
References
- ↑ Ciccio, Rosa (2014). "Moments in History: Danbury". Hartford Courant. http://www.courant.com/courant-250/moments-in-history/hc-connecticut-closeups-20140717-144-photo.html. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ↑ Francis, William (1860). History of the Hatting Trade in Danbury, Conn. Danbury, Connecticut: H. & L. Osborne. p. 3. https://archive.org/details/historyhattingt00frangoog. "zadoc benedict."
- ↑ Pirro, John (1 Feb 2011). "The rise -- and fall -- of hatting in Danbury". Danbury News-Times. http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/The-rise-and-fall-of-hatting-in-Danbury-990165.php. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ↑ Bailey, James Montgomery (1896). History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896. Burr Print. House. https://archive.org/details/historyofdanbury00bail.
- ↑ Varekamp, Johan. "'Mad Hatters' Long Gone, But The Mercury Lingers On". http://unisci.com/stories/20022/0625026.htm. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ↑ "THE MANUFACTURING PERIOD IN DANBURY". Danbury Times. http://www.danburymuseum.org/studenthistory/studenthistory/Welcome_files/NEWmanufacturing2.pdf.