'Turnback Tuesday' features Derby Lumber Company

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" features The Derby Lumber Company. The company was once one of the largest lumber companies in the country. It was first started by Willis and Lewis Hotchkiss in 1836 and was originally called The Derby Building and Lumber Company. The two brothers ran the company until 1840, when they partnered with Willis Sperry and Merritt Clarke and changed the name to Hotchkiss, Clarke, & Co. 
The name was again changed in 1850 when the company consolidated with a firm in Ansonia and thus became the Derby Lumber Company. In 1905 the company sold a significant portion of its land and buildings to allow for a double railroad track to be installed.


*Thanks to Derby Public Library for providing this interesting local history!