Crescent Arms was a maker of affordable single and double barrel shotguns. They also made shotguns under numerous trade names for other gun companies and general mercantile stores.
The company got its start from the Bacon Arms company of Norwich Connecticut, which was started in 1863 by Thomas Bacon, one of the three gun making enterprises started by Bacon.
In 1865 Bacon sold his interest in the company and the firm continued until 1888.
That year the equipment and building of Bacon's last company were purchased by George Cilley.
Cilley was a former employee of Hopkins & Allen, as were many of the gun makers in Norwich.
Cilley named his new company Crecent Arms. His new venture proved successful and in 1892 he purchased land on Holly Hock Island in the middle of the Yantic River in Norwich, CT on which to build a new factory.
This is what the building looked like.
60 or more employees worked in the narrow 2-story building. Light was provided by the many windows and power was provided by the river.
The company produced more than 15,000 guns per year. As mentioned earlier, the trade names were numerous, below is a sampling of known names, there may have been more as it has been reported that they would brand label guns for an order as small as a dozen guns. One collector has identified more than 550 such trade names.
In 1893 H&D Folsom, a sporting goods wholesaler/retailer based out of New York, purchased The Crescent Arms company. They had already been selling the Crescent shotguns under various trade names.
In late 1930 Crescent Firearms Company were purchased by Savage Arms/J. Stevens Arms. H&D Folsom Arms had purchased The Baker Gun Company and probably didn't need two shotgun factories.
Savage also purchased the Davis-Warner Arms Corporation and the two were merged as a subsidiary of Savage. A bit of a coincidence that Warner Arms (before merging with Davis Arms) was located on Holly Hock Island, next door to the Crescent Arms factory.
The Crescent-Davis division continued until 1935 when it was dissolved and the machinery sent to the J. Stevens plant in Chicopee Falls, MA. The Crescent-Davis name and gun designs continued to made as late as 1938.
What remains:
I believe the Bacon Arms building is still standing, there is only one building at the corner of Pond and Franklin Streets and it appears to be pretty old.
It took some work to find where the location of the Crescent factory building on Holly Hock Island, I found this in a listing of businesses from July of 1892. The other half of Holly Hock Island was once occupied by the Manhattan Arms and the 1st Smith & Wesson factory.
The factory building is long gone, replaced by a ramp to the transportation center and two buildings on both shores.
The J. Stevens Arms Factory in Chicopee Falls is still standing, as far as I know anyway.
Sources:
https://www.gunvaluesboard.com/any-information-on-crescent-arms-of-norwich-conn.-double-b...-11460918.html
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=373937
https://www.fieldandstream.com/blasts-from-past-american-gun-company-12-gauge-shotgun/
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=373937
https://www.fieldandstream.com/blasts-from-past-american-gun-company-12-gauge-shotgun/
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