In 1938, New Britain High School competed in the high school football national championship game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.ġ954 saw the development of racquetball, also at the YMCA. In 1895, the basketball technique of dribbling was developed at the New Britain YMCA. The wire coat hanger was invented in 1869 by O. The two companies merged in 1920, and the Stanley Rule and Level Company became the Hand Tools Division of Stanley Works. Planes invented by Leonard Bailey and manufactured by the Stanley Rule and Level Company, known as "Stanley/Bailey" planes, were prized by woodworkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and remain popular among wood craftsmen today. In 1857 his cousin Henry Stanley founded The Stanley Rule and Level Company in the city. In 1843 Frederick Trent Stanley established Stanley's Bolt Manufactory in New Britain to make door bolts and other wrought-iron hardware. Major manufacturers, such as The Stanley Works, the P&F Corbin Company (later Corbin Locks), Landers, Frary & Clark (LF&C) and North & Judd, were headquartered in the city. A consolidation charter was adopted in 1905.ĭuring the early part of the 20th century, New Britain was known as the "Hardware Capital of the World", as well as "Hardware City". Chartered in 1850 as a township and in 1871 as a city, New Britain had separated from the nearby towns of Farmington and Berlin, Connecticut. The name is a transfer from Great Britain. New Britain was settled in 1687 and then was incorporated as a new parish under the name New Britain Society in 1754. Because of its large Polish population, the city is often playfully referred to as "New Britski." The city's official nickname is the "Hardware City" because of its history as a manufacturing center and as the headquarters of Stanley Black & Decker. The city was noted for its industry during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and notable sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places include Walnut Hill Park developed by the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and Downtown New Britain. Īmong the southernmost of the communities encompassed within the Hartford-Springfield Knowledge Corridor metropolitan region, New Britain is home to Central Connecticut State University and Charter Oak State College. According to 2020 Census, the population of the city is 74,135. It is located approximately 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Hartford. New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States.