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The Bristol Brass Company was founded as the Bristol Brass and Clock Company in 1850, the creation of sixteen industrialists from Bristol clock and Waterbury brass interests who hoped to profit in the booming clock industry of Bristol, CT. Although the company never manufactured clocks, only the brass mechanisms for the timepieces, it was many years before it changed its name to Bristol Brass Company. It was the largest employer in Bristol, with 375 employees by 1880. Its mainstay was the production of brass for automobiles. The company thrived during the years of World Wars I and II, making shell cases for the military. The post-war economy brought a change in the company's fortunes. The amount of brass used in automobiles declined swiftly, and foreign competition eroded the company's clientele. Bristol Brass closed its doors in December 1982, after 132 years as a major part of the Bristol economy.

The Brooks A. Bentz Railroad Collection consists almost exclusively of materials associated with the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, including passenger and employee timetables, a parlor car wine list and dining car cafe menu, information about the railroad equipment provided for railroad employees, information about the railroad's merger with what became Penn Central in the late 1960s, a vehicle decal, a map of the railroad system (ca. 1925), and photographs of locomotives.

Bruce Morrison served as a member of Congress from Connecticut's third district from 1983-1991.

Dr. Carl W. Schaefer wais a professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Connecticut. The collection documents his professional interests and activities.