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The History of the Button Factory
The Bostwick Brothers Button Shop was located on 72 Railroad Street until 1897 The manufacture of buttons from vegetable ivory was begun here in 1866 by Henry and Walter Bostwick under the the firm name of Bostwick Brothers. The ivory nuts were brought to this country as ballast for ships and were sold at a price which made the making of buttons a profitable venture. The Bostwicks conducted business on the site until 1884 when the building was badly damaged by fire.
Buttons were made at the old hat shop on the corner of Bridge and Railroad Streets about 1878 by Noble Brothers. Prior to that, Isaac B. Bristol, Robert H. Isbell, William Schoverling, Rufus Leavitt, and others. A button shop was erected in which buttons were manufactured by William Schoverling, George W. Anthony and David Soule until 1889 when it too was burned.
Some time later the property was occupied by the New Milford Times and that building burned down as well. The lot remained vacant until now. (Our building will be sided with Hardi Plank, a fiber cement, fire resistant clapboard product and be serviced by a sprinkler and fire alarm system!)
Upon excavating it was discovered that the original building was demolished and buried in the original foundation. The original brick and burnt timber was discovered under just 2 feet of topsoil. The charred remains, untouched by sun, water, or air for 100 years look as if the building burnt yesterday!
Learn more about the history of New Milford
Below is a picture of the Button shop on the corner of Bridge and Railroad Street
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