History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 81

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 81

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The John H. Lockey Piano-Case Company is the oldest of the firms which are now conducting this branch of the business; for, although the present corporation has been very lately formed, the business itself dates back to 1851, when John H. Lockey, the senior member of the company, began business for Charles J. Cobleigh has a large piano case factory at West Leominster. The original buildings on this site were erected by S. A. Meads and designed for a sash and blind shop. But when the Arlington Piano Company's factory was burned, in 1872, this property came into their possession. It was used by them while the business was continued. In August, 1879, Mr. Cobleigh began business for him- self and in January, 1880, moved to the Arlington Shop. Previously he had been in the employ of John H. Lockey and others in the same business. Since 1880 he has made large additions to the orig- himself in the factory of J. C. Lane. Either alone, or with his brother, Joseph P. Lockey, or as the head of the present firm, Mr. Lockey has continued this business most, if not all of the time until now. In the interests of his business he erected one or both of the buildings already mentioned as burned on the site of Valpey & Anthony's shoe shop, as well as the building now occupied by this piano-case company. The cases made by Mr. Lockey have always been re- garded as among the very best in the market, in make, style and finish. Everything is done at this factory in the most thorough manner : none but ex- | inal buildings and in many ways improved the ap-

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pearance and value of property at West Leominster. The buiness employs a hundred men and very lagely through Mr. Cobleigh's energy and business ability West Leominster is, to-day, a busy, comely and thriv- ing part of the town.

J. P. Lockey & Co. commenced the business of making piano-cases in 1885, in what was the Union Comb shop, a large factory on Central Street. The location here mentioned was first occupied for busi- ness purposes in 1846. At that time, in order to accommodate the comb business of Joslin & Graham, this property was purchased, the dam built which flows the Union Comb Co.'s pond and a shop erected in 1846-47 by Mr. Charles L. Joslin. The property came by different hands to the possession of the Union Comb Co. This company erected a large factory, which in a few years was burned and re- built. It was in this last shop that the company now spoken of began the manufacture of piano-cases. The company remained here until October 1, 1886, when the property was sold to the Richardson Carriage Co., and the piano-case works were moved to the Whitney & Rice mill on Mechanic Street. At this place the business is now conducted by the original owners associated with Mr. Geo. L. Rice.

WOOLEN GOODS .- It is evident that the woolen industry proper had a beginning in Leominster as early as 1800. Many years previous, we have found, while tracing the business history of the site now owned by F. G. Smith, that a mill was erected there to dress home-made cloth. But if this be claimed as not a proper beginning of the woolen business, we read that in 1799 Nichols & Kendall built a mill on the Nashua River for the manufacture of woolen goods. In the next year the property was rented to John Taylor, an Englishman, experienced in the making of woolen cloth and was by him operated in a small way till 1810. At that time, it may be in- ferred, that he acquired the property by purchase, for he enlarged both factory and power and managed an increased business until 1828, when the mill suffered the fate of all like structures on that stream and was quietly converted into a paper-mill.

From 1828 to 1865 there is no evidence that the woolen business had a home or any mention within the limits of the town. It seems to have died from memory or thought. Curiously enough, when it was started again, the mill was built by a man who had spent his life and made his fortune in the paper business. It was a kind of restitution for the theft of the old woolen-mill thirty-seven years before.

This new mill was the four-set brick mill already mentioned as built by S. S. Crocker on Pond Street.

The woolen business is now represented in Leo- minster by E. M. Rockwell at this mill on Pond Street, and by the Leominster Worsted Company at their new factory, just below. The mill on Pond Street has been enlarged and remodeled by Mr. Rockwell, and is now a complete nine-set mill. For

the greater part of his business life Mr. Rockwell has either been engaged in woolen manufacturing or in superintending the making of machinery for that purpose.

The Leominster Worsted Company began their present mill in the fall of 1887. It was finished aud went into operation January, 1888; but the business itself was commenced by E. M. Rockwell and Wil- liam Rodgers in May, 1886. William H. Chase takes the place of Mr. Rockwell in the present com- pany.

CHILDREN'S CARRIAGES .- The nature of this bus- iness, the skill and intelligence required in the work- men, as well as the large capital employed and the high wages paid, unite to make this, like the piano business, one of the important working forces in the well-being of the town. It has proved, all will con- cede, the most important of Leominster's industries. The following history of its growth and progress was prepared under the direction of one who best knows the facts.

"The manufacture of children's carriages in Leo- minster was begun in a very modest manner by F. W. & F. A. Whitney in the year 1858, at which time the few in use were, as a rule, homely in shape and rudely constructed. The present beauty and perfec- tion in design was not even dreamed of at that time, and it was a slight, unimportant circumstance which led to the establishment of this valuable industry in Leominster. While on a visit to Greenfield, Mass., Mr. F. A. Whitney noticed on the street a baby-car- riage, somewhat different from the stereotyped pat- tern, and it occurred to him that the manufacture in new and attractive designs might be made profitable; upon his return home he consulted with his cousin, Mr. F. W. Whitney, and found him equally confident and willing to embark in the business. Accordingly they hired a small portion of the Lockey shop, lo- cated where the shoe factory of Messrs. Valpey & Anthony now stands, and, with only a few men in their employ, began work.

In 1861, soon atter the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. F. A. Whitney sold his interest to F. W. Whit- ney, and entered the service of the Christian Com- mission. After some months of labor he returned, and purchased, once more, his share in the business. In 1862 the building, then partially occupied, was consumed by fire, occasioning much loss, with no in- surance: with the exception of one planer scarcely anything was saved. This planer is still in use by the company.

After the fire the firm resumed work in the shop recently occupied by the Leominster Worsted Co., situated on Water Street, using two other buildings, located where the depot now stands, for finishing purposes. In 1863 F. A. Whitney purchased the entire business. In 1865 he was requested to vacate the position he occupied, and then arose a problem, difficult to solve, where he should next locate. The

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water privilege to be obtained upon the tract of land known as " Paradise " settled the question, and accord- ingly he erected at once, the westerly of the present group of buildings. A more desirable spot could hardly have been chosen : it was conspicuous for its natural beauty, and perfectly suited to the growing requirements of the business, whose early history had always been attended by uncertainty and discourage- ment, the losses by fire and removals making it seem an unequal struggle. Then the difficulty of conveying goods to town arose; as there was no bridge across the stream, it was necessary to carry them by a path through the woods, for nearly a mile. Finally, Mr. Whitney petitioned the town to build a bridge; there was much opposition by some of the leading citizens, who thought it an unnecessary outlay of money ; but after a time, owing, in a great measure, to the influ- ence of Mr. Alfred 1. Burditt, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and his associates, a bridge was built, which has since been replaced by a substantial iron structure. Other buildings were erected, and the business grew and increased until, while in the first two or three years five or six hundred covered the number of carriages manufactured, 1871 found the sales enlarged to twelve thousand. At that time, in order to still better facilitate business, a joint stock company was formed and incorporated, known as "The F. A. Whitney Carriage Company," with F. A. Whitney, president ; F. W. Whitney, treasurer ; Wm. B. Whitney, superintendent of wood and iron depart- ment, and S. M. Frost, secretary and traveling sales- man. F. A. Whitney, F. W. Whitney, Wm. B. Whitney and S. M. Frost, directors and owners of the entire stock. Not a season has passed since 1871 without the addition either of buildings, lumber- sheds, or improvements in labor-saving devices, to increase production, economize cost, and secure the best mechanical results. The enterprise has proved remarkably successful, furnishing employment to a large number of people, and contributing greatly to the material prosperity of the town. In 1885 Mr. S. M. Frost retired from the business, and F. H. Shaw, J. P. Holman, Philip Lothrop and Wm. C. Burditt, employes of the company, became stockholders. In 1886 Wm. B. Whitney retired, and Geo. W. Foster, formerly of the firm of Foster Bros. & Kenney, entered the employ of the company and took an interest. A few months ago Mr. F. H. Shaw sold his interest, leaving the present management as follows : F. A. Whitney, president aud treasurer; Wm. C. Burditt, secretary ; Geo. W. Foster, traveling sales- man, and F. A. Whitney, J. P. Holman, P. Lothrop and Geo. W. Foster, directors.

The company were never in a better condition to manufacture than at the present time, with one hun- dred and fifty employés, and shipping goods to all parts of the United States, South America and Aus- tralia."

Of her citizens, there is no one whom Leominster :

honors more, or who better deserves the honor, than Mr. F. A. Whitney. It is doubtful if any other man has contributed more than he to the permanent and healthy growth of our mechanical industries. Not only did he help to establish this most important business, but it was chiefly by his foresight and energy that it passed its most critical time, took pos- session of a location admirably fitted for its accommo- dation and development and came to its present liberal, permanent and prosperous condition. Mr. Whitney is not a native of Leominster, but he has been for many years, covering the whole of his business career, closely connected with the religious and industrial life of the town. While his business record is an honor to himself, both as a manufacturer and an employer, and has been and is a vital, working force in our growth and prosperity, the buildings he has planned with so much taste, and caused to be so thor- oughly constructed, will remain as a permanent element in Leominster's future industrial history.

In the same line of business the Richardson Carriage Company have been for two years located in Leomin- ster. They occupy the old Union Comb Shop, which they have twice enlarged. The business is prosperous and employs many hands. It is now and will be one of the important elements in our progress, but as a late comer, its history is hardly demanded in this sketch.

MACHINERY. - Thurston Richardson, a man of much more than ordinary mechanical ability, and especially skillful as a worker in iron, seems to have been the first in Leominster to make the manufac- ture of machinery a regular business. He worked in a small shop on Union Street, and devoted his atten- tion largely to the manufacture of comb tools. While in Boston purchasing machinery for the Union Comb Co., Mr. Richardson was exposed to the small-pox, of which disease he died. From that time there has been some business of this kind in town, managed by different parties and located at different places ; but the iron industry has never been extensive or promi- nent.

At present there are four firms in town working in iron, -Gould & Cook, manufacturers of the Gem Pencil-sharpener ; J. A. Stowell, John Mather and Austin A. Smith. These firms do the general jobbing business of the town, and some or all of them under- take the making of shafting, gearing, hangers, pul- leys, etc. Mr. Smith has of late made a number of rattan machines of excellent quality; but none of the firms employ many hands or undertake very heavy work. It is a direction in which the possibil- ities of Leominster have not been largely devel- oped.

Nearly allied to this business, however, is the making of apple-parers, which has been, and is still, somewhat more largely carried on in town. The business was commenced by Lockey & Howland in 1856, and by them made very profitable. Later Mr.

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Lockey managed the business alone ; but in the end it was sold and moved from town. Some time after, Mr. F. W. Hudson started the same business, but under different patents, and continued it with success till within a few years, when he sold his interest to his son, C. E. Hudson, the present owner. The business employs, at some scasons of the year, fifteen or more hands, and is of growing importance.

CHAMBER FURNITURE, -It is not at all probable that the history of this industry in Leominster can bear a date much earlier than 1864. The exact date of the business conducted by a Mr. Pratt in the Lane & Prescott shop is not known to the writer and it is possible that Mr. George A. Bishop began work at the same place a short time before the year above named. But the year 1864 is the time when the business took such form as permanently to affect the interests of the town.

At present there are two firms in Leominster en- gaged in this business : the Leominster Furniture Company and Merriam, Hall & Co. at North Leo- minster. The business of Merriam, Hall & Co., was established in 1864, at which time the first buildings of the present factory were erected. The original partners were George Hall, Samuel Merriam and Edward Pickard. Two of the three, at least, had not been residents of Leominster previous to this time. The relations of Mr. Merriam to this business are embodied in the sketch of his life. The firm now consists of George Hall, one of the original owners and his son, Arthur H. Hall, both wholly familiar with the business. The buildings have been several times enlarged and are now carefully arranged and adapted to the needs of the business. The firm have lately purchased a large tract from the Moses Rich- ardson estate, erected a large store-house and con- ducted it by a side-track directly with the Fitchburg Railroad. This enables them to handle freight with large economy of time and labor. The business is wholly the making of chamber suits in ash, oak and cherry. About ninety men are employed and the annual product is ten thousand suits.

About the same year Blodgett & Bishop began to make chamber suits in what was called the Lane & Prescott shop. Soon after, they erected the factory now used by the company at the lowest point on Monoosnock Brook which has yet been occupied for manufacturing purposes. Bishop & Hogan succeeded Blodgett & Bishop, and when Mr. Hogan retired the firm became George A. Bishop & Company. In this form the business continued until 1878, when Mr. Bishop died very suddenly. For the next two years there were two firms, Martin, Bates & Co., and A. J. Bates & Co., but in 1880 the present corporation was formed, known in law as The Leominster Furniture Manufacturing Company. The original facilities of the plant have been largely increased by the addition of store-house, lumber-sheds, &c. The business of the corporation is the manufacture of chamber suits

in pine, ash, oak and chestnut. The mill has both steam and water-power and accommodates about fifty men. This company finish a few suits, but no goods are finished at the factory of Merriam, Hall & Co.

TOYS AND GAMES .- This business is conducted by W. S. Reed and C. E. Dresser, who constitute the W. S. Reed Toy Company. So far as the writer has found any clue to the business history of the site now occupied by this corporation, it is contained in the following :

" About the year 1763 another saw-mill was crected further down the stream (Monoosnock Brook), by Rufus Houghton. This was afterwards known as the Fullum Mill." From about 1825 to 1847 this mill was occupied by Thomas Stearns for a tannery, when the property was sold to J. C. Lane, who erected the present wooden building. But there is no certainty that the new shop was built on the exact site of the old mill ; indeed, it seems probable that it was farther to the north and west and the " Fullum Mill " stood nearer the place now occupied by the Rattan Works. It is perhaps needless to say that the shop erected by Mr. Lane for his piano-works in time came to be used for the manufacture of combs.

In 1874 the New England Toy Company, consisting of W. S. Reed, Seymour Lyman & F. A. Whitney, was organized. The company manufactured a few styles of children's blocks, and published one or more primers of the same general character. But as the business was never able to earn its own living, it died at the age of eighteen months.

In July, 1876, W. S. Reed, having secured several patents upon inventions of his own, began the manu- facture of toys in a building owned by the Whitney Carriage Company. In 1879 he purchased the Lane & Prescott shop and soon after, to accommodate his rapidly increasing business, built the present brick factory.

In 1881 the present corporation was formed, with W. S. Reed as president and C. E. Dresser as treas- urer. All the stock is owned by these gentlemen, which fact possesses at least this advantage, that the whole corporation can hold office.

The company manufacture toys, games and novel- ties of every description ; many of these are among the most attractive in the market and have an extensive sale, reaching even beyond the limits of the United States. They make also several styles of tables and other goods not included under the general term of toys. These last are among the best and most conve- nient of household articles.

In 1886 the company began the manufacturing of a case used to transport liquids through the mails. These cases are of wood, lined with cork and to one end is fitted a tight screw-cap cushioned with rubber. A glass bottle is placed inside this case, holding the liquid to be transmitted. This is one of the best mailing cases in the market and said to be the only one having the approval of the Postinaster-General.

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The business of this corporation forms one of the leading industries of Leominster.

LEATHER BOARD .- Among the industries which have been established within the past twenty years and are now at home in Leominster, this is one of the most important. It is located on the Nashua River at the site occupied by the grist-mill erected by Ma- jor Amos Haws at the request of his fellow-citizens. The property was purchased and the business estab- lished in 1868. The company is known as the Har- wood Manufacturing Company, and the owners are J. A. Harwood, of Littleton, and Nahum Harwood, of Leominster.

As first stated the business consisted of the mann- facture of leather board, but the making of boot and shoe stiffenings and chair-seats has been added, and the capacity of the plant increased from one to three tons per day. In 1883 the buildings were wholly de- stroyed by fire; but the ruins were removed and new buildings erected with no unnecessary delay. These buildings have all modern appliances for the accom- modation of the business and the comfort of the workmen. The factory has both water and steam- power, and employs about sixty men. This business has been prosperous from the beginning, and by fur- nishing constant employment to so many skilled me- chanics, has been and is an important agent in quick- ening the growth of the town. It is a strong and staple business.

MANUFACTURE OF WHITE SHIRTS .- Less than nine years ago this whole business was foreign to the thought and knowledge of Leominster. Probably no one at that time had the least idea that Leominster would ever be known in the State, much less in the country, for its manufacture of white shirts. Still the business is evidently here to stay, and has already at- tained most ample proportions. Its beginnings and history may be briefly stated.

In September, 1880, G. F. Morse & Co. purchased a few machines and a small quantity of cloth and were preparing to start this business, when C. E. Dresser and D. C. Nickerson, either because it was a new business or because it promised success, bought the material and began the work. With these gentle- men Mr. F. A. Whitney was, soon after, associated. This infant industry was put in the care of George A. Gane, at the time a manufacturer of custom shirts in Fitchburg, for none of the partners had any practical knowledge of the business. This is the opening chapter of its history. It may be doubted if any of the gentlemen engaged in starting the work had any clear idea of what was to come of it all. The whole thing seems to the writer as in some sense an acci- dent, or, at most, an experiment in its starting.

The first owners continued the business until May, ISSI, when it was sold to E. A. Buffinton, of Detroit. It has never been known in what ratio the first owners divided the profits. Mr. Buffinton was as

thoroughly fitted for this business as a man could be who had been superintendent of a large shoe factory and had never made a shirt in his life. But he had energy and business ability, and these answered until the experience could be acquired. Under the man- agement of Mr. Buffinton the business began to in- crease and assume a more permanent form. The be- ginnings were small, twenty machines and a single floor in a comparatively small building; but in the second year a laundry was added and another room. At the end of five years the whole business was moved to a new and much larger building erected by Mr. A. W. Williams for its accommodation. This build- ing has since been enlarged. The company has at the present writing a contract with the Superintendent of the Women's Reformatory Prison at Sherborn, and a branch factory at Provincetown, Mass. They sell, also, the goods made by the Bay State Shirt Com- pany. This, in brief, is the history of the Leominster Shirt Company. In 1887 Mr. C. C. Foster became associated in the business.

About a year later than the organization of the Leominster Shirt Company, Mr. G. A. Gane, who had left the employ of Mr. Buffinton, started what is called the Wachusett Shirt Company. It was cra- dled in a small room in Paton's Block, and in its infancy had only eight machines. In July, 1882, Mr. F. A. Whitney took part in this business. From its first quarters the business moved to the shop of W. D. Earl & Co., and from there to the upper story of a building owned by the Whitney Carriage Company. It soon spread from this single floor all through the building and began to feel cramped even in its larger quarters. Under these conditions Mr. Whitney planned and erected extensive additions, which were finished and dedicated December 5, 1885. This building is a model of convenience and comfort, every way admirably adapted to its purpose. This building accommodated the business for something more than a year, but in June, 1886, Mr. Whitney determined to erect another and still finer factory, and the work was finished the following year. This new building is of brick aud is without doubt the most complete and elegant manufacturing building in any town of this size in the State. Nothing that would improve the sanitary condition, the convenience for doing business or increase the comfort of the em- ployés is omitted. The structure is an ornament to the town and, accidents apart, will remain for many generations a permanent addition to the business pos- sibilities of Leominster. The company is doing, and has every facility for doing, an extensive and profit- able business. It is not easy to see how better accommodations could be planned or desired.

The Bay State Shirt Company was organized in October, 1885, by A. G. Morse, of Leominster, and George H. Priest, of Sterling. Mr. Priest soon with- drew, and it is now a stock company. The business has been twice enlarged, uses about a hundred ma-

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chines and sells its goods through the Leominster Shirt Company.

After this review, it will hardly be claimed that the manufacture of white shirts is not an important in- dustry in Leominster. It is young, but certainly very large of its age. With facilities for making a thou- sand dozen of shirts in a day, Leominster is not likely to fail in any demand made upon her in this direc- tion.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 81

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464