The Old Remington Arms Munition Factory

 Remington Arms U.M.C plant in Bridgeport, CT .  

The shot tower – which bears more than a passing resemblance to a giant whiskey bottle – still looms over the area.

The Bridgeport production complex was built in 1867 by the Union Metallic Cartridge Company, and the iconic shot tower was completed in 1909. The 10-story, 190-foot tall tower was the tallest building in Connecticut for years, and was intended to be both functional and ornamental. The production of shot involved pouring molten metal through a sieve at the top and then dropping it 133 feet so that perfect spheres would form and then be cooled and solidified by water in the basement.

Though there were numerous accidents onsite,  the most noteworthy disaster occurred at the plant in 1906 when 16 tons of gunpowder exploded, causing damage as far away as Long Island – although, miraculously, no one was killed. Several years later the Union Metallic Cartridge Company merged with Remington in 1912. The Bridgeport factory became the company’s headquarters and the property was expanded to 73 acres.

  Remington’s Bridgeport facilities were a major manufacturing location for arms in both world wars, producing weapons used by the United States, Britain, France, and Russia. During the depression, however, the company struggled financially and sold a controlling share of its stock to gunpowder manufacturer DuPont. Though the company diversified over the years, manufacturing clothing, typewriters, household utensils, cash registers, and tools at various plants across the United States, firearms and ammunition continued to be their primary source of income.