History of Torrington, Connecticut, USA

Torrington is a post town, centrally situated in the county, being 23 miles northwest from Hartford, & 7 miles northeast from Litchfield. It is bounded north by Winchester, east by New-Hartford, south by Litchfield and Harwinton, and west by Goshen. It is about 6 miles square, comprising 36 miles, or about 23,040 acres...

Torrington, Connecticut
Litchfield county. This town was first settled in 1737. Its surface is diversified by hills and valleys, and the soil is better adapted to grazing than the culture of grain. There are many sheep in the town, and the products of the dairy are considerable. Population, 1830, 1,654.

Two branches of Naugatuck river meet at Wolcottville, a beautiful village, in the south part of the town; 26 miles W.N.W. from Hartford, 40 N. by W. from New Haven, and 7 N. by E. from Litchfield. This village is situated in a valley, and contains an extensive woolen factory, a church, an academy, and a number of handsome dwelling houses. Near this village a good bed of copper ore has been recently discovered; and Mr. Israel Coe, the proprietor, has commenced the manufacture of brass kettles, the first establishment of the kind, it is believed, in the United States.

Wolcottville owes its rise, principally, to Oliver Wolcott, secretary of the United States Treasury, during the...

Torrington, a post-township of Litchfield Co., Connecticut, about 22 miles N. W. by W. from Hartford ; intersected by the Naugatuck railroad. Population, 1916.

On March 2, 1866, the Excelsior Needle Company of Wolcottville was organized. The company produced machine-made sewing needles by a new method called swaging, a process of cold-forming metal by compression with dies. Orrin Hopsan, Heman Brooks & E. J. Manville had patented a “machine for reducing or pointing wires” on February 6, which allowed Excelsior Needle to produce needles of a uniform size and shape for the first time, a Connecticut original.

Tor'rington, a post-borough in the town of Torrington, Litchfield co., Conn., on the Naugatuck River, about 28 miles W. by N. of Hartford, and 13 miles W. of Torrington Station of the Naugatuck Railroad. Torrington has 7 churches, a bank, a high school, a daily newspaper, water works, sewers, electric lights, curbed streets, and manufactures of woollen goods, hardware, plated goods, machinery, needles, &c. Pop. of borough, 5800; of town in 1890, 6048; in 1894, 7500.

Torrington, a post-borough in Torrington township (town), Litchfield co., Conn. on the Naugatuck River, about 26 miles W. by N. of Hartford, on the New York, New Haven and Hartford R. It has manufactures of woollens, brass and plated goods, hardware, machinery, needles, bicycles, etc. Pop. of the borough in 1900, 8360; of the town, 12,453.