The Toolbox of America

THE TOOLBOX OF AMERICA explores the innovations that one family brought to manufacturing in America, and the transformation of one New England city that emerged during the 19th and 20th centuries as the “Hardware Capital of the World.” By the early 20th century, New Britain, Connecticut had become the nexus of manufacturing in America. Post-WWII, there were at least nine large hardware companies based in this industrial city, and according to the Hartford Courant, employing at least 15,000 people, and paying $75 million in mostly local wages (more than $700 million in today’s dollars). Working in tool factories sustained generations of New Britain’s families – including the Stanleys, a large and prolific group of innovators who were cousins, and rivals. Today, Stanley Black & Decker is the one hardware company that remains in New Britain – and its history is inextricably intertwined with this small Connecticut town whose motto is “Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey.” THE TOOLBOX OF AMERICA features interviews with experts, educators, and industry insiders who shed light on the impact of the Stanley family on New Britain, a little town settled in 1687 that grew to be known as “Hardware City.”