Hats and Hat Making in New England
Early New England, and early Massachusetts in particular, was a center of American hat-making. Many New England towns had small hat-making factories, and many hat-makers in New England specialized in palm-leaf hats for men (as well as straw bonnets for women).
Historic accounts of New England hat towns and hat-making may be found in the following entries from Hayward's New England Gazetteer of 1839:
New Hampshire Hats and Hat Makers
Vermont Hats and Hat Makers
Massachusetts Hats and Hat Makers
- Amherst, Massachusetts
- Andover, Massachusetts
- Ashburnham, Massachusetts
- Ashby, Massachusetts
- Athol, Massachusetts
- Barnstable, Massachusetts
- Barre, Massachusetts
- Bernardston, Massachusetts
- Beverly, Massachusetts
- Boxborough, Massachusetts
- Boylston, Massachusetts
- Bridgewater, Massachusetts
- Brimfield, Massachusetts
- Brookfield, Massachusetts
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Canton, Massachusetts
- Charlemont, Massachusetts
- Charlestown, Massachusetts
- Coleraine, Massachusetts
- Concord, Massachusetts
- Conway, Massachusetts
- Cummington, Massachusetts
- Dana, Massachusetts
- Dedham, Massachusetts
- Deerfield, Massachusetts
- Eastham, Massachusetts
- Easton, Massachusetts
- Edgartown, Massachusetts
- Enfield, Massachusetts
- Erving, Massachusetts
- Fall River, Massachusetts
- Fitchburgh, Massachusetts
- Framingham, Massachusetts
- Gardner, Massachusetts
- Gill, Massachusetts
- Gloucester, Massachusetts
- Great Barrington, Massachusetts
- Greenfield, Massachusetts
- Greenwich, Massachusetts
- Groton, Massachusetts
- Hadley, Massachusetts
- Hardwick, Massachusetts
- Harvard, Massachusetts
- Hatfield, Massachusetts
- Haverhill, Massachusetts
- Heath, Massachusetts
- Hingham, Massachusetts
- Hinsdale, Massachusetts
- Holden, Massachusetts
- Hubbardston, Massachusetts
- Kingston, Massachusetts
- Lancaster, Massachusetts
- Lee, Massachusetts
- Leominster, Massachusetts
- Ludlow, Massachusetts
- Lunenburgh, Massachusetts
- Manchester, Massachusetts
- Mansfield, Massachusetts
- Medford, Massachusetts
- Mendon, Massachusetts
- Methuen, Massachusetts
- Millbury, Massachusetts
- Milton, Massachusetts
- Needham, Massachusetts
- New Bedford, Massachusetts
- New Braintree, Massachusetts
- New Salem, Massachusetts
- Newburyport, Massachusetts
- North Bridgewater, Massachusetts
- Oakham, Massachusetts
- Orleans, Massachusetts
- Palmer, Massachusetts
- Paxton, Massachusetts
- Pelham, Massachusetts
- Pepperell, Massachusetts
- Petersham, Massachusetts
- Phillipston, Massachusetts
- Pittsfield, Massachusetts
- Plainfield, Massachusetts
- Plympton, Massachusetts
- Prescott, Massachusetts
- Princeton, Massachusetts
- Quincy, Massachusetts
- Roxbury, Massachusetts
- Royalston, Massachusetts
- Sheffield, Massachusetts
- Shelburne, Massachusetts
- Shirley, Massachusetts
- Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
- Spencer, Massachusetts
- Sterling, Massachusetts
- Stow, Massachusetts
- Sturbridge, Massachusetts
- Taunton, Massachusetts
- Templeton, Massachusetts
- Tisbury, Massachusetts
- Townsend, Massachusetts
- Truro, Massachusetts
- Tyringham, Massachusetts
- Wales, Massachusetts
- Walpole, Massachusetts
- Waltham, Massachusetts
- Ware, Massachusetts
- Warren, Massachusetts
- Warwick, Massachusetts
- Wendell, Massachusetts
- West Boylston, Massachusetts
- Westfield, Massachusetts
- Westhampton, Massachusetts
- Westminster, Massachusetts
- Whately, Massachusetts
- Wilbraham, Massachusetts
- Williamsburgh, Massachusetts
- Williamstown, Massachusetts
- Winchendon, Massachusetts
- Worthington, Massachusetts
- Wrentham, Massachusetts
Connecticut Hats and Hat Makers
- Bethel, Connecticut
- Newtown, Connecticut
- Oxford, Connecticut
- Southbury, Connecticut
- Westport, Connecticut
