1752
Benjamin Franklin flies his kite, Dr. William Hunter, a Scottish doctor, opens his shop in Newport, Rhode Island. Dr. Hunter formulated Number Six Cologne, which George Washington favored. We offer it unchanged today.
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1780
George Washington gives the Marquis de Lafayette a supply of Dr. Hunter's Number Six Cologne to thank him for aiding his tattered Revolutionary Army.
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1790
White Rose. We thank Dolley Madison for bringing this fragrance to fame. It was a favorite of this sophisticated lady who loved the essence of white roses. A pure and authentic scent.
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1824
John Quincy Adams is elected President and Number Six Cologne comes back to the White House. Adams' direct descendent, Anne Robinson buys the company in 1999.
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1826
During his triumphal visit to the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette stops at our Newport store. His purpose: to replenish his supply of Number Six Cologne, which years earlier he had received as a gift from his good friend George Washington.
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1833
A branch of the apothecary shop opens in New York. The name officially is registered as Caswell & Hazard Company, Ltd. Bottles used at the time were either amber or cobalt blue embossed with the name Caswell & Hazard, the inspiration for Elixir of Love No. 1.
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1840
A fragrance is introduced: Jockey Club a refreshingly dry and racy scent. For the gentleman who prefers one fragrance for all occasions. It is a success!
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1861
Caswell-Massey purveys the first slab of Castile Soap on the eve of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration. Lincoln was a seventh generation direct descendent of the first Caswells to land in America in 1668. Note how Lincoln Caswell (pictured) resembles the 16th President.
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1876
The Company is renamed Caswell-Massey when the current owner, Newport merchant John Rose Caswell, forms partnership with New York-based businessman William Massey. They have one store in Newport and another in New York City.
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1876
Before the Battle of Little Bighorn, General George Armstrong Custer brushes his teeth for the last time with Caswell-Massey's bone-handled Tilbury toothbrush. Found among his personal effects at "the last stand", it remains at the Custer Battlefield National Monument.
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1887
Cucumber Night Cream. Thirty jars are shipped to Paris for Sarah Bernhardt, the great actress of the nineteenth century. She found the cream perfect for gently removing heavy theater makeup.
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1890
Named for the most aristocratic of towns, Newport Cologne is introduced to society. Its clear, crisp scent is christened a success by the yachtsmen who own the lavish mansions they oh-so-modestly call "cottages".
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