George T. Newhall

Do you know who George T. Newhall is? Do you know why George T. Newhall is a part of New Haven history? Are you from the Ville, or are you curious of how the Ville came to be?

Newhallville was once the center of the carriage manufacturing business. New Haven’s earliest known carriage maker was John Cook. His business dates back to 1794, the time of Connecticut’s first carriage manufacturing. In the nineteenth century, carriage building became an important new industry in New Haven. As New Haven became more prosperous, the need for carriages and wagons grew. By 1860, New Haven had an at least fifty carriage manufacturers.

James Brewster helped New Haven become a carriage-building center. In 1810, Brewster opened his own carriage factory in New Haven. He became known for his production method of dividing the work of the factory into different departments. This assembly line production helped make it quicker to build the carriages. The rise of the railroad industry forced Brewster to abandon the carriage business and get involved with building railroads. Jonathan Mix invented a new type of carriage spring that helped to make the carriage industry more successful.

George T. Newhall turned Newhallville into a center of horse carriage production. His Carriage Emporium was located between Division and Argyle Streets. Newhall learned to make carriages at the Hooker and Osborne factory. He started his business around 1855 and remained in it for over forty years. He used steam machinery in his factory to help build carriages more quickly. His business was hurt during the Civil War because he sold most of his carriages in the south. After the war, he opened a new factory, built a number of houses, and generally improved the area. George T. Newhall died in 1902. “Newhallville” is named in his memory.

Even though George T. Newhall was an important person in New Haven history, not many people really knew who he was. A survey of Common Ground High School students revealed that while 60% knew where Newhallville was, only 30% knew who it was named after and only 20% knew that George T. Newhall had a carriage business. Not many kids that live in the Ville care about whom he was but it best to know how what you represent came to be.

- Natasha Santos, edited by Justine Case and Jameeka Wilson