Hamden: The Industrial Revolution

HAMDEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Hamden played a pivotal role in the The Industrial Revolution, with pioneers like Eli Whitney taking the reins.

It was here in 1798 that Whitney invented mass production at his arms factory. It now serves as a museum.

Whitney used the adjacent Mill River to run the factory's machinery, and decades later his son turned into the first public water supply for the city of New Haven.

A reconstruction of the Town Bridge just steps away serves as a reminder of an historic first. The original, built off site by Ithial Town in 1820, was patented as the first lattice-truss bridge.

Today this 1979 version is built atop remnants from an earlier factory bridge and replicates Town's strong design.