James Brewste
Born in Preston, Connecticut in 1788, Brewster learned the carriage making trade in Northampton, Massachusetts. Brewster became enamored with New Haven while stopping here during a stagecoach breakdown in 1809. While waiting for his carriage to be fitted with a new spring and axle, Brewster remarked how beautiful the New Haven Green was with its fine churches, elm trees, civic buildings and Yale University. As a matter of fact, he thought it was the most beautiful place he had ever seen. Brewster returned in 1810 to set up his own shop on Elm Street; in the next several years, his shop continually expanded.
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Brewster became well known in the carriage trade for his method of dividing work into different departments. He paid his workers every Saturday night in cash, instead of following the common practice of paying them in store script. He barred all liquor from his factories, even though it was standard practice at that time to allow liquor to be brought to work by the employees. He disdained all temptations that could endanger health.
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Brewster was
the
entrepreneur in a town with an abundance of them. In order to upgrade the skill of the mechanics, he founded the Young Mechanics Institute. He financed the Franklin Institute to further promote education and culture, and regularly contributed money for lecturers. When Brewster moved his factory to Wooster Street in 1832, he made improvements in the neighborhood by adding new streets and by widening the roads.
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In 1833, Brewster obtained a charter for the New Haven and Hartford Railroad and was elected its first president. After a fire destroyed his factory on Wooster Street, he returned to the industry with his son in 1838.
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Here is a brief list of his many achievements:
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He was the first Western manufacturer to send paneled carriages to the South. (Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren were his customers.)
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He helped found the New Haven Savings Bank.
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He supported construction of a new City Hall.
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He gave the Orphan Asylum Building to the city.
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He instigated the purchase of the first steam fire engine for the city.
George Newhall
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New Haven born in l821, an entrepreneur like Brewster, he was concerned not only with his own profits, but also with the welfare of the community. He demonstrated this by purchasing neighborhoods and improving them for the residents.
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His contribution to the carriage industry was the introduction of steam engines into his factory. These engines made it possible to speed up production and to lower the cost of the finished product. Within the next 6 years, all New Haven Carriage shops were using steam engines. He established assembly lines and incorporated the principles of mass production into the making of his carriages. Newhall, at one time, had the largest carriage factory in the world, but Southern debts after the Civil War forced Newhall to leave the business.
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As Jonathan Mix was the edge that New Haven needed in the beginning to prosper as a carriage center, Newhall and his revolutionary production methods provided the impetus to achieve the final realization.
Jonathan Mix
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Mix’s most significant invention was the elliptic spring (steel axle tree spring), He attached his spring parallel to the axle tree and fastened it with bolts in the center. He received a patent for this in 1807, and it made the leather suspension straps and iron coil springs obsolete. It gave New Haven the edge at a time when the carriage industry was in its infancy. It made carriage travel comfortable and therefore a popular pastime. Mix Avenue in Hamden is named for Jonathan Mix, who was born in New Haven.
Presentation of Unit
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It would be advisable to present this unit over a one to two month period. The unit can best be presented by dividing it into three “mini units”: The Beginning, Golden Age and the Decline of the industry. Each “mini unit” should take approximately two weeks to present, and there should be an allotment of two weeks at the end of the unit to discuss exhibits, research projects and reports. Testing should be done at the end of each “mini unit” to evaluate student progress and teacher effectiveness in presentation. At the end of the unit there should be a final exam, an individual research or study project and one class project.
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The following lessons are intended to be merely suggestions on how certain activities can be presented;
Lesson I
Performance Objectives: At the conclusion of this lesson the children should be able to
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1. identify the various types of carriages made in New Haven.
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2. identify the advantages and disadvantages of certain carriages.
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3. become familiar with different carriage makers’ styles.
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4. gain further experience in creative writing.
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5. gain further experience in oral presentations.
Procedure
The students will write a commercial in an attempt to sell a particular carriage to the class. They may wish to cite the advantages and disadvantages to modern-day transportation. After the students have passed in the written commercial for a grade, the student will then attempt to present his sales pitch to the class. The students should be encouraged to use whatever means they wish to sell the product and audio-visual aids are to be encouraged. The students may use illustrations found in this unit or they may research the industry themselves. The time limit for the commercial is one minute. Elicit class responses after each presentation.
Lesson II
Performance Objectives: At the conclusion this lesson the children should be able to
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1. identify the routes of the carriage distribution throughout the U.S. and the world.
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2. identify different carriage makers and the types of carriages produced.
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3. explain the reasons for the rise and fall of the carriage industry.
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4. construct a map.
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5. describe the chronological order of events that made up the carriage industry.
Procedure:
The students will construct a map of the Western Hemisphere on a piece of oak tag 24”x36”. They will then trace the distribution of New Haven carriages throughout the U.S. and the atmosphere with colored yarns. There should be 10 different colors to signify the decades between 1800 and 1900. The students will attach the yarn to the map, cutting them to the specific lengths needed to match the distribution routes. The children should include a key on their maps to identify the decades. In certain instances the teacher may provide an outline map for the children to copy and precut yarn. These maps may be used as bulletin board exhibits or visual teaching aids.
Lesson III
Performance Objectives:
At the conclusion of this lesson the children should be able to
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1. answer questions posed to them about the carriage industry correctly.
Procedure:
This lesson can be used at the end of each ‘mini unit’ as a means of review for a test or at the end of the entire unit with prizes as a reward for work well done.
Tell the class that they will be having a tic-tac-toe quiz. Choose one boy and one girl as team captains. They are given the responsibility of choosing their teams. To insure that it doesn’t result in boys against girls, they must pick the sexes alternately. Meanwhile, the classroom chairs may be set up as a tic-tac-toe board (3x3). Before the quiz begins, select one of the chairs to be the “secret chair.” Begin by asking a question from the unit studied to team A, and if the correct response is given the student may sit anywhere on the board. The objective is to have one team place 3 of their members in a row. The other team may block or try to score themselves. If a student sits in the secret chair, he is given another question; if he answers correctly, his team automatically wins that game. At the end of the entire unit, you may wish to give small prizes for correct responses.