In 1852, two Englishmen, Thompson and Gascoinge started a small pocket cutlery in the factory of the Eagle Company (manufacturers of table cutlery) in Winsted, Connecticut. The factory was in a brick building on the Lake stream, adjoining the Connecticut Western depot grounds.
When Eagle closed in 1853, Thompson and Gascoinge were forced out of business. They lacked sufficient capital to purchase or build their own factory, so they sold the business to Elliot Beardsley and James R. Alvord. Beardsley and Alvord had acted as agents for Thompson and Gascoinge, retailing their pocket knives through their store in Winsted as well as wholesaling them through other outlets.
Beardsley and Alvord built a new factory in 1856, and re-named their business the Empire Knife Company.
c 1852-1853