Gilbert & Bennett Mfg. Co.

Gilbert & Bennett Manufacturing Company was established in 1818 in Georgetown, Connecticut, by Benjamin Gilbert, with Sturges Bennett admitted into the partnership in 1828. The company was known for its innovations in producing and manufacturing wire products. The Georgetown mill site was sometimes used as a film set, including several scenes in the 1990 film, "Other People's Money." G&B filed for bankruptcy in 1998, falling victim to deindustrialization. In 2021, plans were being made to redevelop the original site of the former wire mill in Georgetown. Among the company's innovations were a plastic-coated wire cloth designed to reinforce brake linings in cars and a mesh of nickel wire which was developed in 1944 for The Manhattan Project. The company is known to have produced at least one card-backed flex record to promote its line to managers and buyers at hardware stores.