Eagle Lock Company

The most notable began in 1832, when an English immigrant and locksmith opened a small lock manufacturer in Watertown, Connecticut.

After two years, his small shop and skills were acquired by the Terryville, Connecticut firm of Lewis, McKee and Company, which was run by Eli Terry, son of the clock maker.

With major defense contracts, it became an attractive takeover target for large firms looking to create subsidiary industries.

In 1943, with the largest profit margins in company history, Eagle Lock was sold to F. Bowser Inc., of Fort Wayne, Indiana, however it continued to operate under its original name and location in Terryville, Connecticut.

After the War, the board of Eagle Lock deliberated, but never initiated, a move to the southeastern United States for tax purposes.

The first surviving building is a one story brick production shed with gable roof on the corner of South Main Street and East Orchard Street; this building held such operations as packing, stocking and shipping, buffing and plating and pin-lock production.