Colchester Rubber Co.
Colchester Rubber Co. was a footwear brand manufactured by the Colchester Rubber Company. History Colchester Rubber Co. was a footwear brand manufactured by the Colchester Rubber Company. The original Colchester Rubber Company, founded in 1888 at Colchester, Connecticut, USA, Factory The Colchester Rubber Company factory was located at the intersection of Lebanon Avenue and Mill Street in the factory buildings which previously belonged to the Hayward Rubber Company which was in operation from 1847 to 1885. The Hayward Rubber Company was founded by Nathaniel Hayward, whose findings on the treatment of rubber with sulfur were used to develop vulcanised rubber. Some of the original Colchester Rubber Company factory ruins can still be seen at the site today. Many of the workers in the factory originally came from Ireland. Founding Owners The Colchester Rubber Company was founded by George Watkinson who was born 1838. Prior to founding Colchester Rubber Company, George Watkinson was a manager at the Candee Rubber Company. The Colchester Rubber Company factory, or Rubber Works, at Colchester were co-managed by George Watkinson and his son Irving Watkinson. Irving Watkinson was a busy man, as he also kept the Colchester town weather station and was the proverbial man about town raising show dogs and horses while selling bicycles for the Columbia Brand and being the Captain of the town's baseball team. Products The Colchester Rubber Company manufactured high end rubber footwear for men, women and children. Their speciality products were working boots for cold and wet weather, rain boots and galoshes. To complement these products, during the short summer season of April to July, they also made and sold canvas and rubber shoes under the classification of “Tennis” shoes. The somewhat misleadingly named “Tennis” shoe range included shoes for walking, baseball, bicycle, tennis and yachting. The Colchester Rubber Company's products were rated high end quality and considered by some as #1 in their field. The “Tennis” shoes were the promenade shoe of choice at Newport, Rhode Island during the Gilded Age. The products were also exported worldwide and during the late 1880s and early 1890s were seen on the beaches and board-walks in Europe's many resorts. In 1892 Colchester Rubber Company displayed their footwear at the Chicago World's Fair and Exposition. Company Takeover During 1892, Colchester Rubber Company was acquired by The United States Rubber Company as part of their intention to form a monopoly and control the rubber industry in the United States of America by buying a majority of the rubber companies which were in operation at that time. Factory Closure During the 1893 Depression, the decision was made by The United States Rubber Company to close the factory in Colchester and discontinue the Colchester Rubber Co. brand. This decision was, in part, based on the fact that the town of Colchester was located on what was considered a poor water source for manufacturing and was far from seaports and land transportation hubs. The decision to close the factory was kept secret from the employees and the