The Newhallville Sign

In the late 1850’s, many factories in New Haven were being created to accommodate public demand for products. There was a cotton factory, a rubber factory, and many others. But what was needed was a factory to produce transportation equipment. With the growth of cities and populations, transportation was needed. That’s when George T. Newhall formed the ‘Newhall’s Carriage Emporium.’

The Carriage Emporium opened in early 1851. The factory gave jobs to many residents in the New Haven area. The Carriage Emporium was located on Argyle Street, which is in the Newhallville area.
The true mass production of carriages was first introduced by G&D Cook and Company, before the Civil War. It successfully continued afterwards. New Haven carriage makers were the largest carriage manufacturers in the United States, and George T. Newhall showed that steam power on a large scale reduced costs and increased production. The New Haven carriage industry is of special interest to industrial historians because of it's early use of machinery to increase efficiency and to cut costs. John Cook, the first of these carriage makers, produced chains as early as 1794.

The New Haven Carriage Emporium closed in 1871. It was only opened for twenty years, but its existence created a new name and an image for what is now called Newhallville. The image behind Newhallville is a carriage--the same carriage that made George T. Newhall famous and wealthy.

In 1999 a sign that says “Welcome To Newhallville” was erected on the corner of Division Street and Winchester Avenue. The sign has a white background with dark black lettering. It features an old black carriage from the 1800’s.

When questioned, a community activist stated that he didn’t know where it came from but would like to know. The alderman in Newhallville didn’t have any information on the “Welcome To Newhallville” sign either. With that feedback, many agencies were contacted including city hall, public works, chamber of commerce, and many other city officials. Employees stated they didn’t know the sign in question, and they didn’t have any records on it. Most of the people also wanted to know where the ‘welcome’ sign came from.

After much fruitless research, the truth finally unfolded. The Newhallville sign was made by the Newhallville Management Team. Hazel Williams and her husband personally did the sign in their backyard. The sign was approved by a monthly neighborhood community meeting and placed on a prominent corner in the neighborhood.

The residents that live near the Newhallville sign had mixed responses when questioned about the Newhallville sign. A neighbor said that she really didn’t care where the sign came from or where the neighborhood got its name from. That didn’t concern her. But another neighbor was very interested. He thinks that its good that young kids are learning the history of where they live, and he is glad to know where the sign came from and would like to know more about how the neighborhood received its name.

In conclusion, George T. Newhall’s legacy continues to leave a mark throughout the streets of Newhallville. The carriage lives on.

- Edward Antunes