{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"218. Connecticut in the Industrial Revolution: Making Buttons in Cheshire","description":" A button sounds like a very ordinary thing. But button production in Cheshire was part of Connecticut\u2019s pioneering role in the precision manufacturing revolution of the nineteenth century. According to connecticuthistory.org, button production began with pewter buttons in the mid-eighteenth century but quickly turned to brass in the early nineteenth century.  By 1860s, machines in the Scovill Brass factory in Waterbury produced 216,000 buttons per day. This type of industrial production volume for an everyday necessity such as buttons propelled investors and entrepreneurs to establish companies such as the Ball & Socket Manufacturing Company. But what were the benefits and costs of Cheshire\u2019s industrial development during Connecticut\u2019s Industrial Revolution?   Cheshire\u2019s Ball & Socket factory has been transformed into a community arts center as we discovered in Grating the Nutmeg episode 167. New Lives for Old Factories.  But its industrial past has not been forgotten-new research by noted historian Elizabeth Fox has been shared with the public in outdoor signage and a feature story in the Fall 2024 issue of Connecticut Explored. Fellow historian Agnes Wnuk has been researching the history of the factory and its effect on Cheshire. My guests Elizabeth Fox and Agnes Wnuk today will share what they\u2019ve uncovered so far! Elizabeth \u201cBetsy\u201d Fox is a retired museum consultant. She lives in Cheshire and has been involved with Ball & Socket Arts as a volunteer for over ten years. She has also written some great articles for Connecticut Explored magazine. Historian Agnes Wnuk has been involved in preservation work at museums and libraries.   Ball & Socket Arts will present a public program on the oral history project and button production at 6:30pm on Nov. 13th, 2025 at the Cheshire Public Library. Get  more information here: ballandsocket.org\/events\/2025\/11\/13\/pushing-buttons-collecting-oral-histories-about-ball-socket-manufacturing Did you know Waterbury, CT has been a hub of button-making for over 200 years? Buttons aren\u2019t just functional; they\u2019re miniature works of art! Opening October 12, Beau McCall: Buttons On! is the first-ever retrospective of the renowned textile artist known as \u201cThe Button Man,\u201d showcasing his striking wearable and visual art created entirely with buttons. The exhibition is complemented by the Mattatuck Museum\u2019s impressive Button Gallery, home to over 20,000 buttons, offering a unique blend of creativity and history through January 4. Get more information here: https:\/\/www.mattmuseum.org\/exhibition\/beau-mccall-buttons-on\/   ------------------------------------------ If you love Connecticut history, be sure to support Grating the Nutmeg by bidding on some fabulous one-of-a-kind experiences in our online benefit auction! History matters! Get more information here: www.ctexplored.org\/2nd-grating-the-nutmeg-auction\/   To listen to our episode on Ball & Socket Art\u2019s transformation, stream free here: https:\/\/gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com\/167-new-lives-for-old-factories-cheshires-ball-socket-arts   This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Mary Donohue and engineered by Patrick O\u2019Sullivan at https:\/\/www.highwattagemedia.com\/   Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.   Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at West Hartford Town Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening! ","author_name":"Grating the Nutmeg","author_url":"http:\/\/gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com\/podcast","html":"