Danforth Pewter Shop

Danforth Pewter Shop
Thomas Danforth I (1703-1786) was a prominent maker of pewter in Norwich. One of his sons, also named Thomas, established himself as a pewterer in Middletown in 1756. He handcrafted pewter in a combination workshop and store that was originally located in an artisans’ neighborhood along Henshaw Lane, now called College Street. Thomas Danforth II (1731-1782) had six sons who became pewterers. A grandson continued the trade in Middletown until 1846. The Danforth Pewter Shop was dismantled in 1979, when its College Street location was slated to become a parking lot. It was reassembled a few years later next to 11 South Main Street, at the intersection of South Main, Pleasant and Church Streets, near Union Green. The former pewter shop is privately owned and not open to the public.

The Thomas Danforth House (1783)
Thomas Danforth II, who was based in Middletown, together with his sons, including Thomas Danforth III of Rocky Hill, were very successful Connecticut metalworkers. Five generations of the Danforth family, between 1730s and 1840s, were involved in metalworking and became famous for producing objects made of pewter and Britannia metal. The Danforth family business employed many peddlers, who sold their wares widely, with a focus on the southern states. Thomas Danforth III has been credited with establishing America’s first chain-store system, with branches in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Savannah. Having spent a number of years traveling between Connecticut and Philadelphia, where his son, Thomas Danforth IV would serve his apprenticeship, Thomas III returned to reside in his home in Rocky Hill. His house, built in 1783, is located at the corner of Glastonbury Avenue and Old Main Street.

Danforth House 1746
Thomas Danforth was a noted pewterer. He produced a variety of pewter tableware and was the first of several generations of pewterers. Born in 1703 in Taunton, Massachusetts,Thomas Danforth was one of fourteen children of Rev. Samuel Danforth, the town’s Congregational minister. Thomas moved to Norwich in 1733 and opened a pewterer’s and brazier’s shop on the Norwichtown Green. Two of his sons, Thomas II and John, alsobecame pewterers. Thomas II set up shop in Middletown and became the father of six more pewterers. John worked with his father until the latter retired in 1773, when the firm of Thomas Danforth & Son was dissolved (Thomas I died in 1786). John‘s son Samuel later took over his business in 1792, finally selling it in 1802 and moving to Ellsworth, Ohio. Thomas Danforth I’s Norwich home was the house at 25 Scotland Road. It was built in 1746.

From: Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Danforth Pewterers History: Thomas Danforth II opened a pewter workshop in 1755 in colonial Connecticut, and generations of the Danforth family followed him into the pewter trade. Before the 1860s, almost every American household had pewter plates and cups, and the Danforths were one of the leading families in American pewter. After the Civil War, glass and ceramic became affordable to average people, and the American pewter industry collapsed. The last of the colonial-era Danforths stopped working in pewter in 1873. There is colonial Danforth pewter in the Smithsonian, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum Collection at Colonial Williamsburg, and many other American museums. The Danforth family went off to other endeavors, like inventing the Danforth anchor.

One hundred years later, Thomas Danforth II’s great-great-great-great-great grandson Fred Danforth, and Fred’s wife Judi Danforth, revived the family tradition when they opened Danforth Pewter in Vermont in 1975. Over the next 33 years, the company grew to include four retail stores, a web store, a wholesale business providing products to several hundred independent gift stores around the country, a custom design business, and a corporate gift and recognition business. For many years, the company held the exclusive license from Disney to create classic Winnie-the-Pooh products in pewter, as well as licenses for Dr. Seuss and Beatrix Potter.

In 2008, Danforth Pewter acquired Shirley Pewter of Williamsburg, Virginia, becoming the proud owner of the Shirley Pewter Shop in Colonial Williamsburg and the Shirley online shop at shirleypewter.com. Danforth also became the manufacturer of the Shirley line of fine pewter. In 2011, Danforth acquired the Pewter Port line of products from WT Wilson of Providence, Rhode Island.

Today, every piece of Danforth, Shirley and Pewter Port pewter is crafted by hand from 100% lead-free fine pewter in our Middlebury, Vermont workshop. Our line includes everything from miniature pocket charms to one-of-a-kind oil lamps signed by the artist, and our most popular categories are jewelry, holiday ornaments and key rings.
From: www.danforthpewter.com/