American Brass Company

Chartered in Waterbury, Conn., 1899 with the consolidation of Ansonia Brass & Copper Co., Waterbury Brass Co., and Coe Brass Manufacturing Co.; joined by Benedict & Burnham Mfg. Co., and Holmes, Booth & Haydens in 1901; in 1922 acquired by Anaconda Copper Mining Company (headquartered in Montana); name retained until 1960 when reorganized as Anaconda American Brass Company; in 1977 Anaconda Company merged with Atlantic Richfield Co.; in ca. 1981 headquarters moved from Waterbury to Rolling Meadows, Ill., and name changed to Arco Metals Corporation.

From the description of American Brass Company records, 1351-1978. (University of Connecticut). WorldCat record id: 28415213

The story of the development of the brass mills in the Naugatuck Valley is the story of 19th century entrepreneurs who would found one firm, merge with another, then reorganize again to form new ventures. The American Brass Company was no exception; it was founded from many segments of the industry including the Aaron Benedict Company (est. 1812) and the various Coe companies.

Officially, the American Brass Company began 7 June 1893, when a group of men from five of the six brass mills in the Waterbury, Connecticut, met to consolidate their interests. The new company was intended to be a holding company for the following operations: Plume & Atwood Manufacturing Company, Benedict & Burnham Manufacturing Company, Waterbury Brass Company, Scoville Manufacturing Company, Holmes, Booth and Haydens, and Coe Brass Manufacturing Company . However, it was to be another six years (1 March 1899) before the charter was accepted and the company finally organized. Even so, the principal companies could not agree upon remanufacturing activities. All of the companies, with the exception of the Waterbury Brass Company and the Coe Brass Manufacturing Company, withdrew from the newly formed consolidation. The Ansonia Brass & Copper Company (of the Phelps Dodge family) joined the remaining two, and on 14 December 1899 the three companies-- Ansonia Brass & Copper, Waterbury Brass and Coe Brass Manufacturing --formed the American Brass Company . By 1901, Benedict & Burnham and Holmes, Booth and Haydens had rejoined the venture and the American Brass Company was on its way.

The next two decades would bring major reorganizations to the company. On 1 January 1912, the holding company became an operating company and the associated companies were now divisions of the parent, American Brass Company . In 1922, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company (of Montana ) acquired American Brass, although the company retained its own identity until 1960 when the name was changed to Anaconda American Brass .

The Anaconda Company merged with Atlantic Richfield in 1977. The American Brass files housed at the corporate archives were transferred to Los Angeles, CA, in 1981 when the headquarters of Anaconda American Brass Company were moved from Waterbury, Connecticut to Rolling Meadows, Illinois . The name of the division was subsequently changed to ARCO Metals . No administrative correspondence or records groups remained at Waterbury and the collection was divided into logical series at the corporate archives.

From the guide to the American Brass Company Records, undated, 1351-1978., (Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries)