William and Benjamin Douglas

The most important Middletown industry was the production of machinery, engines, tools and hardware. The largest firm of this type was the W. & B. Douglas Pump Company, founded in 1839 (now demolished). The complex covered nearly four acres in the William-Church area by 1896. The Douglas Company produced domestic and fan pumps, and belt power pumps for factory use. Known for its innovative and quality products, the Douglas Company was a major producer of pumps in the United States and Europe.

William Douglas was born in Branford, CT. on 19 April 1812. He worked in the foundry business with his brother John in New Haven, CT. In 1832 he moved to Middletown, CT. and with W.H. Guild formed the company of Guild & Douglas, making steam engines and other machinery. His first patent was issued in August 1835 for a pump.

Benjamin Douglas was born in Northford, CT. on 3 April 1816:
Benjamin In The Ct. Freedom Trail: http://www.ctfreedomtrail.org/

Fire Truck Pumb:

A century ago, the W. & B. Douglas Pump Factory sprawled across both sides of William Street in downtown Middletown. Foundries, storerooms and offices comprised a complex of 21 buildings on 2 acres, with access through a driveway opening on Main Street just south of the Baptist Church. Today, Sbona towers and the Didato Oil Co. stand on the site where most of the world’s hydraulic pumps were manufactured for the better part of the 19th century.

Not a tangible trace of the immense Douglas factory remains, and those still living who remember it describe only vacant and deteriorating structures, which were finally razed in the 1940s.

Info From Historic Properties List: From Middletown’s Planning and Zoning
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