Most of the Fairfield County historic businesses that date back to the American Revolution and American Civil War fell into a handful of categories: inns, banks, newspapers and light manufacturing.
While the state of Connecticut is known as having oldest continuous newspaper in The Hartford Courant (1764) and the oldest operating inns in Essex’s Griswold Inn (1776), Fairfield County’s claim to historic fame is as an early manufacturer of hats; hospitality provider at its many inns, taverns and restaurants; banking hub for growing businesses and prolific newspapers that provided the main means of communication back then.
Inns, taverns, restaurants
According to the Fairfield Museum, The Sun Tavern (1780) located on the historic Town Hall Campus (611 Old Post Road), this was a vital inn and gathering place during the Revolutionary War. While it no longer operates as a commercial inn, the site is maintained by the Fairfield Museum and hosts seasonal tours and historical events.
The Burr Mansion (1734) located at 739 Old Post Road was a hub for prominent early American merchants and is now primarily a beautifully preserved event space.
The Fountain Inn Bed & Breakfast, named after Cass Gilbert Fountain, located at 114 Main St. was built in 1740. The builder and owner of the home was David Hoyt, a prominent loyalist to the British, demanded the British troops stop shooting artillery at the Keeler Tavern, which was the headquarters of the local militia during the Battle of Ridgefield.
The Stanton House in Greenwich (1843) is a historic bed & breakfast inn at 76 Maple Ave. Stanton House Inn was built on land granted to the Rev. Richard Sackett while he was pastor of the Second Congregational Church in 1717, according to Stanton House Inn website. The family kept the land for 150 years, and in 1840, John Sackett built the original structure on its present location. It was called the Seaman-Brush house, which was originally in the Greek Revival style, with a large central hallway and two large, symmetrical rooms on either side.
Tavern at GrayBarns in Norwalk is situated at 194 Perry Ave., as an upscale New American restaurant housed inside a preserved 19th-century inn set along the Silvermine River.
The Arcade Mall at 1001 Main St. in Bridgeport dates back to 1841. It is one of the oldest enclosed shopping malls in the United States, featuring a restored, glass-painted ceiling.
Banks
Fairfield County Bank (Ridgefield) was established in 1871 as the Ridgefield Savings Bank. It has been serving the county continuously for over 150 years.
Savings Bank of Danbury at 220 Main St. was founded in 1849 and has been serving generations of Danburians from its historic downtown presence.
Ives Bank (formerly Savings Bank of Danbury) operates as the oldest continually operating business in Danbury, also founded in 1849. Originally operating directly out of the Ives homestead on Main Street (where Mrs. Ives accepted deposits on a dining room desk while her husband was out), the bank has anchored downtown for 175+ years.
Union Savings Bank, which was established by an act of the Connecticut State Legislature in 1866, is a mutual savings bank that was founded by local hat manufacturers to protect the savings of Danbury residents. Its iconic Romanesque Victorian headquarters is located on “Bankers’ Row” at 226 Main St.
The Greenwich Trust Co. was founded in 1887 and operated as the oldest bank in Greenwich, housing the oldest chartered Trust Department in Fairfield County. Through a series of major mid-century mergers, it consolidated into The National Bank and Trust Company of Fairfield County in 1958.
Industry and manufacturers
Ezra Mallory was born in Redding in 1785 and started the Mallory Hat Co. in Danbury in 1823. He set up his shop near his home in the Great Plain district of town. He produced high beaver hats called stovepipes that had bell shaped crowns and heavily rolled brims.
The Hatch & Bailey Co. in Stamford, which was founded in 1872, holds the title of Connecticut’s oldest lumberyard and is still supplying professional builders and remodelers.
Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co., once the largest employer in Stamford, produced the world-famous pin-tumbler locks after Linus Yale Jr.’s invention in the 1860s.
Gault Family Companies in Westport, which started in 1863 as a hauling and farming company, has evolved into Gault Energy. It provides home heating oil to area homes and businesses.
Jelliff Corp., which was established in 1880. has produced precision wire cloth, mesh products, and screen packs for over a century. Located at 354 Pequot Ave in the Southport section of Fairfield, it started as a small hardware store owned by Charles Jelliff.
Bigelow Tea Co., which started in 1945, is a major Fairfield family-owned business rooted in local commerce history.
Remington Arms Munition factory was built in Bridgeport in 1867. All that remains of the now-abandoned factory is the iconic shot tower, which bears more than a passing resemblance to a giant whiskey bottle. The complex was built by the Union Metallic Cartridge Co., and the shot tower was completed in 1909. The 10-story, 190-foot tall tower was the tallest building in Connecticut for years.
Acme Shear Co. at 100 Hicks St. in Shelton, was founded in 1876. It grew to be one of the largest manufacturers of scissors, shears, and surgical goods in the world.
Frisbie Pie Co. opened in 1871 on Kossuth Street in Bridgeport by William Frisbie, this operation sold hundreds of pies daily, accidentally inventing a cultural phenomenon when college students began tossing the empty pie tins.
Newspapers
The Stamford Advocate starting publishing in April 1829 as The Intelligencer. It was relaunched and renamed The Sentinel. In 1843, the name “Stamford Advocate” first appeared on the front page. In 1892, it transitioned from a weekly publication to a daily newspaper.
The Norwalk Hour (now commonly known as The Hour) is 155 years old. It was first published on May 6, 1871, originally starting as a weekly paper in Westport before moving to Norwalk in 1873 and transitioning to a daily publication in 1895.
The Danbury News-Times is 142 years old. The publication originally debuted as the Danbury Evening News on Sept. 8, 1883. In 1933, it merged with the Danbury Times (founded in 1927) to form the present-day News-Times.
The Connecticut Post, operated by Hearst Media, was founded in 1883 as the Daily Post in East Bridgeport. It was renamed The Bridgeport Post in 1906. In 1992, it was renamed the Connecticut Post.
The Fairfield Citizen was founded in October 1970 by resident Peter Ball under the original name Fairfield Citizen and Chronicle. It traces a historic lineage back to 1867 to the Southport Chronicle.
The Ridgefield Press was founded in 1875 as Baxter’s Monthly briefly, before becoming a weekly paper later that same year. The founder was David Crosby Baxter.
The Newtown Bee was founded by John Pearce in June 1877. The hometown newspaper for Newtown has been owned and continuously published by the Smith family since 1879.
