Incorporated in 1786, Hamden was originally part of New Haven and was named for John Hampden, a noted English statesman. In 1798, at the foot of Lake Whitney, Eli Whitney pioneered the use of interchangeable parts in the manufacture of arms for the United States Government and created the American concept of assembly line production. The first truss bridge in the United States, constructed after the patented design of eminent architect Ithiel Town, was erected in Whitneyville in 1823. From 1825 to 1848, the Farmington Canal traversed the entire length of Hamden, and evidence of it still exists in the Mount Carmel area.