Monument at Brewery To Honor MIF Labor Force

Thanks to a long-held dream of retired Branford Police Chief Robert Gill, a granite monument will be erected at the site of the Malleable Iron Fittings Company to honor the hundreds of people who once worked there.

Thanks also goes to Ed Crowley, owner of Stony Creek Brewery, who is playing a large role in the dedication and celebration. The monument will be erected at the brewery, which was recently built on a portion of the sprawling MIF site on Indian Neck Avenue. Crowley will host an MIF Family Day in November to celebrate the role factory workers and their families played in creating the fabric of the town.

“We are proud to celebrate the history of our community and the employees who dedicated their livelihoods to the factory,” Crowley said.

Founded in 1854, the MIF company grew to become the largest employer in Branford before it ceased production in 1970. In its heyday it encompassed 59 buildings on 23 acres, and was the largest employer in Branford with 1,300 employees. 

In the early years, MIF recruited immigrants as they arrived in New York City; and they also recruited southern farm laborers. Families of all ethnic backgrounds came to Branford, leading to the rich diversity of the town. It was not uncommon for three generations of a family to eventually work at MIF.

Gill, who retired in 2007 after 43 years with the Branford Police Department, once worked at MIF, as did his grandfather. ​“A lot of cultural history goes with this place,” Gill said of the factory. 

The monument will also honor the Hammer family, who owned MIF and were extensively involved in all aspects of Branford life. It will be square in shape and sit near the flagpole.

Bob’s Dream

“Bob had a dream,” said Bill O’Brien who worked with Gill and town historian Jane Bouley on the monument project. The three tried for years to stimulate interest in the project.

“The idea was an excellent one,” Bouley said. ​“MIF is a community story.”

O’Brien said the idea was good, but it wasn’t easy to implement. ​“We were talking about doing this, but we ran into stumbling blocks,” he said.

Then Crowley made a presentation of his brewery plans at a meeting of the Economic Development Commission, of which O’Brien is a member. After the meeting, O’Brien began telling Crowley how they hoped to someday place a monument on the old MIF property ​“to commemorate the history so people don’t forget.”

O’Brien said he didn’t even finish the story when Crowley said, ​“We’ll do it.”

The group met a few times to discuss the design of the monument and the inscription. Bouley said they came to a ​“relatively quick consensus.”

Black granite is being cut in Vermont and the Shelley Brothers in Guilford will engrave it. The draft plans for the inscription state the factory, founded in 1854, ​“provided equal opportunity employment.” The monument will honor the workers and the Hammer family for their many contributions to Branford.

Gill, Bouley, O’Brien and Crowley met with the Eagle at the Stony Creek Brewery last week to talk about the dedication plans and the MIF history.

Diverse but Equal

MIF was founded in 1854 and was originally named Totoket Company. The name was changed 10 years later when it was bought by Joseph Nason and his brother-in-law, James Walworth; and Emil C. Hammer and his brother Thorvald F. Hammer.

Because of the widespread recruiting for employees, the factory had a very diverse workforce.

“MIF gave opportunities and employment to all immigrants who came here,” Bouley said. She said all ethnic groups, including African Americans recruited from the south, had equal opportunity. ​“The pay was equal. The opportunities to move ahead were equal,” she said.

Bouley’s two great-grandfathers worked at MIF, including one who arrived directly from Sweden in the 1870s. One great-grandfather worked there until the 1940s when he retired.

The company made pipe fittings, oil burners, marine hardware, fittings for flagpoles and numerous other products. Because of the factory’s location between the Branford River and the railroad tracks, it was easy to ship on barges or by train. The peak employment and production years were during World War II and into the 1950s.

“It was hard work, dirty and hot,” Bouley said. But what made the company notable was the concern the owners took in the employees, their families and the town. ​“They took pride in their factory and an interest in their employees,” she said.

For example, Bouley said the company often found housing for its employees or made lots available for workers to build homes. She said the Hammer family members were deeply involved in all aspects of Branford life. ​“They were very much part of what Branford is today,” she said.

Gill’s Grandfather

Gill’s grandfather and family were convinced to move to Branford when MIF recruiters traveled to their rural hometown of Sunbury, N.C. ​“They seized upon the opportunity to come here and were employed and made a good living,” Gill said. ​“Other African American families followed.” He said the MIF workers were treated equally, and a small but significant black community began in Branford. ​“There were not a lot of places that were hiring African Americans,” he said.

Gill recalled how he often walked to the factory as a youngster. ​“The place was kind of exciting,” he said, adding that he looked forward to working there.

Gill began working at MIF in 1951, straight out of high school. In 1952, he was drafted and served until 1955. While in the military, he ​“learned there were places other than the heat and fire of Malleable Iron Fittings.I did realize I didn’t want to do that all my life,” he said.

After his military service, Gill worked at MIF about seven years. He started out as a ​“shifter.” He said molders made molds and put them on conveyers, and he shifted them over for the pourers to pour the molten metal. After a couple years, he became a molder. ​“It wasn’t easy work by any means,” he said. ​“It was hot, it was just so hot.”

Gill eventually decided to pursue a career in law enforcement, and joined the Branford Police Department. He became the first black police chief in Branford, serving in that position for nine years.

Riverfront Revitalization

A reproduction of a 1905 Branford map hangs on the wall of the Stony Creek Brewery.

“You can’t imagine how many people stop and look at this map,” Crowley said as he pointed to the place where the brewery now stands.

Some of the MIF buildings are still standing and are used for boat storage. Others were torn down. The Anchor Reef condominiums were built on MIF property, and one of the factory buildings was renovated and turned into upscale condos. In addition to condos, the original master plans called for constructing office buildings and a hotel.

Crowley is also excited about plans for the proposed Atlantic Wharf apartment and retail complex which is slated to be built nearby on the old Atlantic Wire property on Meadow Street. He said with the expansion of the Shoreline East train station, there will be new life along the Branford River.

“It’s the whole revitalization of the waterfront in Branford,” Crowley said.

Crowley said he thinks the MIF property is a fitting place for Stony Creek Brewery, since it’s the evolution of manufacturing of a different type.

“I knew the history of MIF because we were researching the property,” Crowley said, adding that Bob’s idea for a monument was a ​“noble cause.” The Crowley family is footing the bill for the monument.

Bouley said they hope people will look forward to the MIF Family Day, currently scheduled Nov. 15 at the brewery. ​“We want to get the word out,” she said. She’s also hoping families will bring old photos of their relatives who worked at the factory. ​“It could be a lot of people,” she said.

When asked what the MIF workers would have thought of having a brewery at that site, Bouley said, ​“They would have loved it.”

###