Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company incorporated and Colt Armory opens

Background. Samuel Colt, an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman, made the mass production of revolvers commercially viable. In 1848 he was able to start again with a new business of his own, acquiring machinery and tooling from Whitney with sales proceeds and a loan from his cousin, the banker Elisha Colt. In 1855 he converted this business into a corporation in Hartford, Connecticut, and built a larger factory there called the Colt Armory.

Incorporation. In 1855, Colt formally incorporated his business as Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut. This legal structure facilitated the mass production of revolvers, which had become commercially viable. The incorporation marked a significant milestone in Colt's career, transitioning from earlier ventures to a stable corporate entity capable of dominating the firearms industry through the mid-19th century.

Armory Construction. Colt purchased land beside the Connecticut River in Hartford, where he built the Colt Armory in 1855. This facility was larger than his first factory built in 1848. The armory was equipped with state-of-the-art machine tools, some devised by Colt himself. This infrastructure supported the production of revolvers, reinforcing Colt's industrial legacy and manufacturing capabilities.