Capewell Horse Nail Company
The Capewell Horse Nail Company is a factory in Hartford built in 1903 from brick that once produced nails for horseshoes. The three-story building has long facades with many windows, a distinctive tower with a pyramidal roof, and a pavilion with large arched openings that serve as the entrance.
George Capewell founded the company in 1881 and invented a machine that produced horseshoe nails faster, making Hartford known worldwide as the horseshoe nail capital. The current factory building was constructed in 1903 after the previous location burned, and it remained a production center until operations gradually ceased in the 1980s.
The factory bears the name of its founder George Capewell and reflects a time when horseshoe nails were essential to daily life before automobiles became common. The building shows how this manufacturing work shaped the identity and economic life of the community.
The building is located at the corner of Popieluszko Court and Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford and can be viewed from the outside. The site is currently undergoing renovation to become apartments, so check accessibility before visiting.
The main office building displays Dutch architecture with intricate brick patterns and is considered the finest example of this style in Hartford. These architectural details from the early 1900s remain visible to visitors and make the building particularly noteworthy.
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