The Ensign-Bickford Company

The Ensign-Bickford Company (HM2LND)

Location:
Buy flags at Flagstore.com!

N 41° 52.053', W 72° 48.374'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 273 views
Inscription
Now known as Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc., the company traces its origins to 1836, when Simsbury's Richard Bacon formed a partnership with an English firm to manufacture a product called a safety fuse.

Invented by Englishman William Bickford, the safety fuse was used to detonate blackpowder in mining operations. The name of the new company was Bacon, Bickford, Eales & Company.

Until 1851, manufacture of the safety fuse took place in nearby East Weatogue. Following a fire that destroyed the factory later that year, Joseph Toy acquired control, moved operations to this site and changed the name to Toy, Bickford & Company. After Toy's death, his son-in-law Ralph Ensign formed a new partnership under the name Ensign, Bickford & Company.

The company expanded from fuse and blasting products for agriculture and mining, to develop a range of such products for use in World Wars I and II.

Community minded, the company built housing for its employees, helped establish municipal water and electricity services and provided the Hopmeadow area with fire protection until 1944. It continues to maintain an important presence in town.

Today the Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc. compound is shared between one of its subsidiaries, Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense, and a former joint



venture partner, Dyno Nobel.
Details
HM NumberHM2LND
Tags
Year Placed2019
Placed ByThe Simsbury Bike Trail
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, October 8th, 2019 at 8:02pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 682063 N 4637397
Decimal Degrees41.86755000, -72.80623333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 52.053', W 72° 48.374'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 52' 3.1799999999998" N, 72° 48' 22.44" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling North
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What country is the marker located in?
  2. Is this marker part of a series?
  3. What historical period does the marker represent?
  4. What historical place does the marker represent?
  5. What type of marker is it?
  6. What class is the marker?
  7. What style is the marker?
  8. Does the marker have a number?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?