Ansonia Clock Company

On May 7, 1850, Anson G. Phelps, Theodore Terry and Franklin C. Andrews formed a joint stock corporation known as the "AnsoniaClock Company" for the manufacture and sale of clocks, movements and related wares in Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.A. The clockmaking business became the major operation with the reorganization of the Ansonia Brass & Battery Company as the Ansonia Brass & Copper Company at Ansonia, on February 11, 1869.

In April 1879, a large factory was commenced at Brooklyn, New York and its new machinery installed in the spring of 1880. Operations at Ansonia were gradually wound down, and finally shut down in 1883.

However, on October 27, 1880, the Brooklyn factory was totally destroyed by fire. It was claimed the fire was caused by an explosion of leaking gas and the loss was reported at US$750,000 with only US$250,000 insurance cover

The factory was rebuilt bigger and better, and full production continued into the early 1920s. By 1925, the company was in financial trouble, and in July 1926, they were forced to sell their five story Brooklyn complex, and scale down production.

On September 10, 1929, the Ansonia company was sold to the Amtorg Trading Corporation of Moscow in the USSR. Amtorg established two major factories in the Moscow region in 1930, and were known to be still in production in 1998, and may still be in business today.

Since the early 1990s, the Ansonia trademark has been used by a Linwood, Washington agent selling imported clocks.

 

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