The Merwin Wilson Silver Company began its life in 1912 as the Bennett-Merwin Silver Company, organized by Merritt Beach Merwin of New Milford and Charles Bennett, a noted silversmith of Taunton, Mass., who later became Chief Designer for the Oneida Community Silver Company. When the company was about to begin operation, Merritt Merwin (age 29), while inspecting the plant machinery, caught his tie in a revolving shaft and was killed instantly, leaving a young wife and an unborn daughter. The business was reorganized as The Merwin-Wilson Silver Company by Marcus Gaylord Merwin, Merritt's twin brother, and J. LeRoy Wilson, Merritt's brother-in-law, who operated the company until 1935.

The company made pewter reproductions and tea sets, bread trays, prize cups, trophies and other articles of plated silver as well as colonial pewter reproductions which were the bulk of their business. In 1935, Robert Oliver of New Haven acquired a major ownership interest, operating in the same location as the Danforth Silver Company utilizing the molds acquired in 1912 in Taunton, Mass. through Charles Bennett. The Merwin-Wilson families were still involved with the company when taken over by Robert Oliver; the purchase was to be completed over a period of years. In 1936, Marcus Merwin died suddenly at age 53 and Harold Hammond from Fairfield became involved in active operation of the company, eventually buying the pewter and silver business, and operating it under the name of H.B. Hammond & Co. Merwin-Wilson continued the business, making transformers, coils and electric controls for the war effort as late as 1943. This part of the operation was acquired l)y Maurice Electronics who added factory space to the South Avenue Plant, which was owned from inception of the business in 1912 by the uncle of the Merwin twins, Charles Merritt Beach. On his death in 1928, the Beach Holding Company acquired the factory holding which later was owned by his daughter, Marian Beach Barlow and finally by Charles Beach Barlow. At some point the building was rented and possibly sold to the Berkshire Transformer Co.

Records indicate the H.B. Hammond Company, silversmiths, was in existence at least as late as 1957. Harold Hammond moved the silver and pewter operations to the Sanford Estate carriage house located on Bennett Street. This building was torn down in 1971 to make way for the New Milford Bank & Trust Company.