Original Bristol Company Building

Like many successful companies (i.e., Apple, Google, and HP) it turns out that the Bristol Company was started in a garage! Here is a photo of the original carriage barn near Platt’s Bridge in Waterbury where Uncle Will and his brother Franklin I started the business in 1889. Uncle Will was also a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology at that time, while Franklin was probably working at Platt's Mills.

On the back of the photo is written “F.B. Bristol’s barn in which the Bristol Company was started.” According to an article in the Waterbury American from August 1934 (which I will attach in a future posting), before they could begin work, they had to move the horses and carriages to one corner of the building and mortgage the house to finance the necessary tools and equipment.

Two of Franklin I’s sons, Sam and Howard, can be seen standing in front of the building. Sam would later become secretary while Howard would become president.

The business reportedly remained at this location until 1892, when it was moved to its more permanent location with access to the railroad and more room for expansion.