The American Brass Company was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 brass

Brass

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...

 manufacturing company based in Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 and active from 1893 to 1960. The company's predecessors were the Wolcottville Brass Company and the Ansonia Brass and Battery Company. It was the first large brass manufacturing firm in the United States, and for much of its existence was the largest brass manufacturer in the country. It was purchased by the Anaconda Copper Company in 1922, and merged into Anaconda's other brass manufacturing concerns (losing its identity and name in the process) in 1960.

A modern company known as Ansonia Copper & Brass shares the name of the original firm, but is not related to it through any corporate history.
In 1834, Israel Coe, a Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 farmer; John Hungerford, a Connecticut businessman; and Anson Greene Phelps

Anson Greene Phelps

Anson Greene Phelps was a co-founder of mining company Phelps Dodge, which he founded in 1833 along with his son-in-law William E. Dodge.-Early life:...

, co-founder of the Phelps Dodge

Phelps Dodge

Phelps Dodge Corporation was an American mining company founded in 1834 by Anson Greene Phelps and William Earle Dodge, Sr.. On March 19, 2007, it was acquired by Freeport-McMoRan and now operates under the name Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.-History:...

 mining company, founded a brass mill in Wolcottville, Connecticut (now known as Torrington, Connecticut

Torrington, Connecticut

Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the northwestern Connecticut region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The city population was 36,383 according to the 2010 census....

).