Manning Bowman Company

Manning Bowman was founded in 1849 in Cromwell, Connecticut, and moved to Meriden in 1872. They manufactured enamel and silver-plated ware which they sold to hotels and restaurants. In 1873, they patented a porcelain coffeepot in which water percolated down through the ground coffee in a separate compartment. By the 1920s, they were producing electric appliances including percolators, toasters, and irons. They also manufactured a line of barware. At one time, Manning Bowman had showrooms or offices in New York, Chicago, Kansas City, San Francisco, London, and Toronto. With the Depression and Prohibition, production came to a virtual standstill. Soon after World War II, Manning Bowman Company sold out to the Bersted Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois; they, in turn, sold out to McGraw-Edison, which is now called Toastmaster Inc. The Connecticut Historical Society library owns several books and trade catalogues relating to the Manning Bowman Company.