SGC-CT069-069 · Research edition September 12, 2026
A selected, source-based research collection for New Haven and Fairfield counties. Includes credited photographs where reusable images were located, historical interpretation and links to supporting records. It is a growing inventory, not an exhaustive survey. A reusable site photograph has not yet been located; the linked documents are the evidence in this edition.
The story in pictures
Naugatuck Chemical Company with piles of old rubber tires. Naugatuck, Connecticut
1940-09
Jack Delano's photograph places stacks of used tires beside the Naugatuck Chemical Company, linking rubber manufacture to its materials and waste.
Naugatuck’s rubber manufacturers included the Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe Company, Goodyear India Rubber Glove Company and Union Rubber Company. Preservation Connecticut records their consolidation into United States Rubber by 1894. Local footwear production continued even as other company plants emphasized automobile tires. [CT069-S01]
United States Rubber adopted the Uniroyal name in 1966, and its Naugatuck footwear operations closed in 1979. The preservation inventory identifies the 1954 warehouse at Rubber Avenue as the surviving building of the former large complex. Earlier factory photographs therefore preserve buildings that cannot all be found on the present site. [CT069-S01]
Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe, Goodyear India Rubber Glove and Union Rubber were distinct local businesses before their consolidation into United States Rubber. The preservation record places that consolidation by 1894. Following the names matters because a product label, a corporate name and a factory address may each change at a different time. [CT069-S01]
The Uniroyal name dates to 1966, while Naugatuck footwear operations ended in 1979. The 1954 warehouse identified by the inventory is therefore a survivor of a much larger production landscape. Earlier factory views help recover buildings that the warehouse alone cannot represent. Photographs of related chemical works must retain their own company identification; they provide industrial context without becoming images of the footwear plant. The resulting story connects products, business consolidation and physical loss without assigning every operation one beginning or ending. [CT069-S01]
Key dates
By 1894 — Local firms consolidated into United States Rubber CT069-S01
Includes source text where acquired. Source websites require an internet connection. OCR may contain errors; verify names and dates against the scan.
3 catalog entries
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CT069-S01 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026
Preservation Connecticut: Uniroyal warehouse and industry
Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. A surviving warehouse and historical views trace the rubber businesses that shaped Naugatuck.
External source; the full publication remains with its publisher. The archive provides an original educational summary and a link. See the collection history for the claims supported by this record.
Naugatuck Chemical Company with piles of old rubber tires. Naugatuck, Connecticut
Jack Delano's photograph places stacks of used tires beside the Naugatuck Chemical Company, linking rubber manufacture to its materials and waste.
Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: no known restrictions; LOC item Rights Advisory: No known restrictions.
Credit: Jack Delano / Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection. Cite SGC SGC-CT069-069, ED-IG-NAU-01, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
The Phoenix Shop and Maple Street view shows the rubber industry's presence along Naugatuck's streets.
Available at the linked repository; image or full record is not included in this download. Title is printed on photograph; do not infer historic date from upload filename. Reuse: link-only; no open license found; Historical Society gallery provides image without open license or verified photographer.
