USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. I > Part 129
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146 | Part 147 | Part 148 | Part 149 | Part 150 | Part 151 | Part 152 | Part 153 | Part 154 | Part 155 | Part 156 | Part 157 | Part 158 | Part 159 | Part 160 | Part 161 | Part 162 | Part 163 | Part 164 | Part 165 | Part 166 | Part 167 | Part 168 | Part 169
Perhaps the most dis- tinctive feature of the work of this house is the effort they have made to show the dangers to public health of the sale of patent and proprietary medi- cines, the composition of which is kept secret, and which are often purchased and taken by the public without the prescription of the physician. Parkc. Davis & Co, patent none of their medicines, and these reach the public only through physicians' pre- scriptions. The crusade against this class of medi- caments they have con- stantly waged through their representatives, and the distribution of litera- ture has done much to establish sound views on this subject, so vitally important to public health.
CAPSULE FACTORY OF F. A. HUBEL, Corner of Fourth and Abbott Streets. Built in 1881.
Their business is strictly that of pharmaceutical chemists, and is conducted on a purely scientific and ethical basis. Their relations are chiefly with the wholesale drug trade, who purchase their products to again sell to retailers, who dispense them on physicians' orders.
They employ upwards of 450 persons. Their laboratory occupies a large square on the river bank, extending from Joseph Campua Avenue to McDougall Avenue. It is fitted up with every mod- ern appliance and apparatus for the manufacture of medicine on a large scale, and the greatest care is exercised in the selection and gathering of crude drugs, from which the finished medicines are made, and every precaution that science and art can devise is taken to secure purity, uniformity and palatability in their products.
In addition to their laboratory at Detroit, and the capsule factory of F. A. Hubel, the products of which they control, their herbarium at Charlotte, N. C., their eastern and foreign trade has led to the establishment of an office and warehouse in New York, running through from 60 Maiden Lane to 21 Liberty Street, and of a crude drug warehouse, at No. 218 Pearl Street, New York.
The growing demand in Canada for their pro-
ducts, and the action of the Dominion in imposing the almost prohibitory tariff on American manu- factures, has also necessitated the establishment of a manufacturing branch there. .
Agencies for the sale of their pharmaceuticals have been established in London, England; Berlin, Germany; Vienna, Austria; Geneva, Switzerland ; Para, Brazil ; Sydney, Australia ; Auckland, New Zea- land ; Havana, Cuba ; Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands ; City of Mexico, Mexico, and Caracas, Venezuela.
F. A. Hubel's Capsule Laboratory
is worthy of particular mention, as its products are entirely unique and the method of their manufac- ture peculiar to Detroit.
Each capsule consists of two shells of cylindrical form rounded at one end and open at the other, one of them being shorter and forming the cover over the mouth of the other. They are transparent and readily soluble and serve a most admirable pur- pose, being used to inclose medicines of dis- agreeable taste and smell. They are made of various sizes, of a capacity of from one grain to one ounce. The larger sizes are used for horses and other animals.
Mr. Hubel began to make them by hand in 1874, and in that year with the aid of one person pro- duced 150,000, The next year he invented machin-
DETROIT EMERY
WHEEL CO.
DO OGEE | F
DETROIT EMERY WHEEL COMPANY'S WORKS, Lincoln Avenue, Hamtramck.
Built in 1875-82.
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
823
ery and improved his method of manipulation, and in 1882 turned out forty-five millions, and in 1883 fifty-five millions. He employs a large number of persons, and sells only to Parke, Davis & Company, with whom he is under contract and who supply the trade.
The National Pin Company.
This is one of the largest establishments in the country. It was organized December 28, 1875, and is officered with D. M. Ferry as president and treasurer, and A. Waring as secretary. They make a large variety of brass and adamantine pins equal to the best English goods, and are sole manufactur-
The Frederick Stearns Pharmaceutical Manu- facturing Company.
This company ranks as a pioneer in the manu- facture of many specialties. The senior member and president of the company has been in the business over thirty years. The works of the com- pany are on the corner of Twenty-first and Mar- quette Streets. Their products embrace all classes of officinal preparations of the United States, the British, the French, and the German Pharmacopoeia, as well as all novelties in pharmacy and medicine described in recent books and periodicals. They are importers of rare and new drugs, and export- ers of medical products. Their trade extends into
FREDERICK STEARNS & CO. LABORATORY
SEI
LABORATORY OF F. STEARNS & COMPANY, corner of Twenty-first and Marquette Streets. Built in 1881.
ers of the Eureka Toilet Pin Rolls. During 1887 they made about 500 tons of pins. They ship goods, not only all over America, but also to Constanti- nople and Lisbon.
The Detroit Emery Wheel Company
was established by Gilbert Hart in 1875. The works are located on Lincoln near Jefferson Avenue in Hamtramck. The company make both emery wheels and machinery for using them, they manu- facture wheels from one fourth of an inch in diam- eter and one quarter of an inch thick, up to thirty- six inches in diameter and six inches thick, these last weighing nearly 800 pounds. The wheels are sold and in use in nearly all manufacturing towns in the United States, the extent of their use being indi- cated by the fact that in 1887 this establishment used 240 tons of emery, and about 120 tons of corundum.
every State and Territory, and they carry credits to over 15,000 of the retail druggists of the United States. The distinct classes of pharmaceutical goods number over one hundred, and as the vari- eties in each often go up into the hundreds, the details of their manufacture are almost endless. This firm have on their list 1,307 sorts of pills, nearly six hundred kinds of fluid extracts, and over eight hundred kinds of powdered drugs.
A special feature of this house is the furnishing the retail druggists of the United States with popu- lar, non-secret medicines, the idea being to displace quack and secret nostrums, and supply good pre- scriptions, handsomely put up and reasonable in price, to meet the demand for simple remedies for slight ailments. In this special line, introduced in 1876, the establishment has met with deserved success and filled a great public want.
53
824
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
The Michigan White Lead and Color Works.
This manufactory, owned by Boydell Broth- ers, is located at Nos. 39 to 43 Fort Street East, with office and warerooms at 18 Congress Street East. They manufacture all the usual varieties of paints and some special brands, designated as Boydell Brothers Strictly Pure, Crown Jewel, Garland, Wayne County, and Queen City white leads, with par- lor, green seal, red seal, and Lehigh zincs. They also produce from 500,000 to 800,000 pounds of put- ty, about 600 tons of white lead and many thousands of gallons of mixed paints each year.
The Detroit White Lead Works,
located at 101 to 109 Jones Street, with office at 97
EFFET
SCHULTE@BROTHER, LARD OIL & CANDLE WORK
SOAP AND CANDLE MANUFACTORY OF SCHULTE BROS. S. W. Corner of Rivard and Franklin Streets. Built in 1858-70.
DETROIT WHITE LEAD WORKS,
F
DETROIT WHITE LEAD WORKS, Ior to 109 jones Street, Built in 1878. Office, 97 Jefferson Avenue.
Jefferson Avenue, was in- corporated on December 22, 1880. The officers of the company are : Ford D. C. Hinchman, president; H. M. Dean, vice-presi- dent, Ford H. Rogers, treasurer and manager; and C. B. Shotwell, secre- tary. The works produce an unusual number of va- rieties of paints, including strictly pure and graded white lead and zinc paints, both dry and ground in oil ; also twenty-four shades of liquid paints, distemper colors, graining grounds, wood fillers, walnut stains, coach paints, putty, etc. They are also large man- ufacturers of various grades of varnish. The extent of their business is indicated in the fact that in 1883 they purchased a million pounds of dry white lead.
825
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
FACTORY.
OFFICE AND FACTORY OF BERRY BROTHERS, Varnish Manufacturers. Corner of Leib and Wight Streets. Built in 1861.
A.J.I.
ENG CO AM
DETROIT LINSEED OIL COMPANY'S WORKS, Corner of Leib and Wight Streets. Built in 1880.
826
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
The Detroit Linseed Oil Company
was established in 1880. The officers of the com- pany are : J. H. Berry, president ; James McMillan, vice-president ; Hugh McMillan, secretary; and S. E. Pittman, manager and treasurer. In 1887 the company produced 9,000 barrels of raw and boiled oil, and the linseed meal or oil cake resulting from their manufacture amounted to 3,600 tons. This last product is marketed to some extent in the United States, but is chiefly shipped to England, Scotland, France, and Belgium.
The Berry Brothers' Varnish Manufactory
was established by Joseph H. and Thomas Berry in 1858, and originally produced only about two hun- dred barrels per year. Their works now have a capacity of over 30,000 barrels yearly. They make grades of varnish to suit the wants of every trade, including car, carriage, wagon, cabinet, and imple- ment makers ; from one to twenty grades being made for each class of business. They also make lacquers for tin, iron, and other metals. Eight branch houses are located at New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Bal- timore, Rochester, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Chicago, and shipments are made all over the United States, to Europe, Africa, the Sandwich Islands, and to various parts of South America.
The Schulte Brothers' Soap Factory,
now carried on by Joseph Schulte, is one of the oldest business establishments in Detroit. Varieties known as German and German Laundry, Indian Chief, Bee-hive, Family, and Household soaps are produced. During 1887 they produced about 600,000 pounds of soap. The office and works are located on the corner of Franklin and Rivard Streets.
The American Eagle Tobacco Company.
This company, in 1883, succeeded the firm of K. C. Barker & Company, established in 1848, and on April 1, 1883, the new building, Nos. 45 to 53 Woodbridge Street West, was first occupied. It has a frontage of one hundred and six feet, and a depth of two hundred feet. The officers of the company are : M. S. Smith, president ; James Clark, vice-president ; C. B. Hull, treasurer and manager ; and G. B. Hutchins, secretary. Some of the best known brands of their fine-cut are designated by the names of American Eagle, Bijah's Joy, Clipper, and Crown of Delight. In smoking tobacco the Universal Favorite, Mackinaw, and Canada Mixture are well-known grades. During 1883 they manu- factured 1,468,926 pounds. They ship to nearly every city and town in the United States, and have shipped to China and Brazil.
The Banner Tobacco Factory,
incorporated in June, 1878, is the successor of the firm of Nevin & Mills, composed of Frank Nevin and Merrill I. Mills, established in 1851. The pres- ent officers of the company are : M. B. Mills, presi- dent ; G. H. Perry, vice-president ; and B. F. Haxton, secretary, treasurer, and general manager. The factory was located for many years at Nos. 193 and 195 Jefferson Avenue, corner of Bates Street, and in 1884 moved into their new establishment at Nos. 53, 55, 57, and 59 Larned Street, corner of Ran- dolph. Their best known brands are Banner, Oriole, Farmer, Prairie Rose, and Antelope, chewing, and Chic, Royal, Snowflake, Belle, Detroit, and Uncle Ben, smoking tobacco. In 1887 they manufactured 1,400,000 pounds. Their sales extend all over the United States and Territories.
ISAAC S. MILLER,
awsumn
THE FIRST TOBACCO FACTORY IN DETROIT. 1
1 The beginnings of the tobacco business in Detroit gave no indications of its present extent. The first manufacturer, George Miller, began about 1840. He sold out to his father, Isaac S. Miller, as early as 1845, and in 1849 he sold to his son, T. C. Miller. His store was located on the east side of Woodward Avenue, just below Jefferson Avenue, and the tobacco was cut in the cellar. The power was supplied by an old blind horse, who was lowered into the cellar, and remained there until he was dead. The tobacco, fifteen or twenty pounds at a time, was dried in the loft of the building.
More chewing tobacco is made here than in any other American city, with possibly two exceptions. About 6, 000,000 pounds of chewing and smoking tobacco, and not far from 40,000,(o. cigars are made in the city yearly, and the manufacturers pay an average of $1,000,000 a year as government taxes,
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
827
The Hiawatha Tobacco Factory of Daniel Scotten & Company,
established in 1856, under the name of Scot- ten, Granger, & Lovett, is now located on the corner of Fort and Campau Streets, in Springwells. The firm is composed of Daniel and Oren Scotten. They manufac- ture plug, chewing, and smoking tobacco. Their leading brand of plug and fine-cut tobacco is Hiawatha; other brands of fine- cut are Harmony, Progress, Tulip, Federal, and Herald. Among their brands of smok- ing tobacco are Calumet, Maud S., Telephone, Enoch Arden, Leghorn, National Pride, Silk Plush, and Honey Dew. In 1883 the firm manufactured 2,011,280 pounds. Shipments are made to London, England, to Honolulu, and to points as far east as Boston, as far west as Portland, and south to Richmond, Va., and Winston, N. C.
The Globe Tobacco Factory,
incorporated in 1880, is the successor of a business established in 1870, by Walker, McGraw, & Company. The officers are : Thomas McGraw, president ; W. K. Parcher, vice-president ; and A A. Boutell, secretary and treasurer The factory is located at 31
AMERICAN EAGLE TOBACCO Co.
AMERICAN EAGLE TOBACCO CO.
AMERICAN EAGLE TOBACCO COMPANY.
4 H
AMERICAN
EAGLE
a
53
OLE. EARL
AMERICAN EAGLE TOBACCO FACTORY (successors to K. C. Barker & Co.), 45, 47, 49, 51 and 53 Atwater Street. Built in 1883.
. BANNER TOBACCO COMPANY'S WORKS,
53, 55, 57, and 59 Larned Street, corner of Randolph.
to 35 Atwater Street East. In 1883 they manu- factured 10,000,000 cigarettes and over 1,300,000
Built in 1884.
pounds of smoking and chewing tobacco. The Globe is their lead- ing brand of chewing tobacco; Nerve and Fearless are their best smoking brands. They also make the Gold Flake Cut Plug, and several brands of long-cut smok- ing tobacco. They ship to all parts of the United States and the Dominion of Canada, also to points in England, Scotland, Bel- gium, France, Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, Chili, Brazil, and the Argentine Republic.
The Hargreaves Manufactur- ing Company.
This company was incorporated on January 1, 1872. The officers are: W. B. Wesson, president ; Lyman H. Baldwin, secretary and treasurer; and Frank F. Wright, manager. They employ 250 hands and make hundreds of varieties of frames and mouldings for pictures, mirrors, and cornices, of various woods and imitations, with gilt mouldings of all classes.
TOBACCO COMPANY.
45
828
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
It is the largest establishment of the kind in the United States, and probably the largest in the world, and finds sale for its products all over this country and in Brazil, Germany, and the Sand- wich Islands.
The Richardson Match Factory,
established by D. M. Richardson in 1856, was transferred to the Diamond Match Company on January 1, 1881. The works have a frontage of 250 feet on Eighth, between Woodbridge and Fort Streets. They employ three hundred per- sons, and in 1883 1,920,000 feet of lumber were used in the works. When working at their full capacity, double that amount of lumber is used. Five hundred persons are employed, and 500,000 gross of boxes of matches made yearly, or 50,000,000 single matches each day. Up to July I, 1883, the factory paid the Government for stamps used on their matches the enormous sum of $4,691,081. Both parlor and sulphur matches are manufactured, and goods are marketed as far east as Pittsburgh, as far west as Salt Lake, and south to New Orleans.
The Clough & Warren Organ Company.
The beginning of this establishment dates from 1850. The firm is now composed of James
GLOBE
TOSMILE
WORKS
PHOTO ENG CZNY.
THE GLOBE TOBACCO FACTORY, 31 to 35 Atwater Street East. Built in 1863.
HIAWATHA TOBACCO FACTORY OF DANIEL SCOTTEN & Co., Southeast corner of Fort and Campau Streets, Springwells. Built in 1875.
E. Clough, George P. War- ren, and Jos. A. Warren. Their factory on Congress Street extends from Fifth to Sixth Street and has a capacity of 7,000 organs per year. Fifty different varieties are made, ranging in price from $18 to $1,500. In 1859 Queen Victoria purchased one of their or- gans to be sent as a present to her subjects, the cele- brated Pitcairn Islanders : their organs are sold in numbers in all parts of the British Dominions and in China, Japan, South Ameri- ca, the West Indies, Aus- tralia, Russia, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, and Austria.
M. J. Murphy & Co.'s Spring Bed and Chair Factory.
This extensive establish- ment is located on Harper
.
1-T
+17
DETROIT
MATCH WORKS
.M.RICHARDS ON ....
THE RICHARDSON MATCH FACTORY, corner of Woodbridge and Eighth Streets.
Built in 1864.
.
WARE ROOMS.
ORGAN FACTORY OP CLOUGH & WARREN, corner of Sixth and Congress Streets.
Built in 1872-82.
831
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
Avenue, near the Milwaukee Junction. The factory is 310 feet long, and has a floor space of 144,000 feet. During 1887 they manufactured 310,000 chairs and rockers, 30,500 woven-wire mattresses and spring-beds, working up 1,100,000 feet of lum- ber, many tons of wire, and large quantities of other material. Their goods are sold throughout the United States and the Canadian Dominion, find a ready market, and are shipped from Winnipeg to New Orleans and El Paso, east to Philadelphia, and west to Salt Lake City.
Gray & Baffy, Manufacturing Upholsterers.
This firm, composed of Alfred A. Gray and Eugene Baffy, located at Nos. 98, 100 and 102 Con-
They ship all over the United States and to the West Indies.
Pingree & Smith's Shoe Factory.
This is the largest factory of the kind west of New York, and there are but very few as large in the United States. The business was established in December, 1866, by H. S. Pingree and Chas. H. Smith. On May 1, 1883, Mr. Smith retired, and the business was transferred to H. S. Pingree, F. C. Pingree, C. G. M. Bond, and J. B. Howarth, who continue the business under the old firm name. The extent of their trade is indicated by the fact that in 1886, besides using great quantities of other materials, they cut up 38,944 sides of sole leather,
ME'S
LOOKING GLASSE
WESTERN
HARGREAVES MANUFACTURING COMPANY'S OFFICE AND WORKS,
Howard, from Seventeenth to Eighteenth Street. Built in 1863, 1870, and 1873.
gress Street West, near Cass Street, are extensive manufacturers of upholstered furniture and of frames for upholstered wares. They also make cabinets, mantels, and all kinds of odd pieces for odd places. Besides a large Michigan trade their goods find sale in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Mary- land, and Delaware. They use about 300,000 feet of lumber yearly, besides several hundred tons of hair, tow, and other kinds of filling used in uphols- tered work.
Mumford, Foster, & Co.'s Last Factory.
This factory was established in April, 1864. Their store is at No. 16 Gratiot Avenue, their fac- tory at 401 Atwater Street, between Riopelle and Orleans Streets. They use about three hundred cords of maple bolts per year, make fifty varieties of lasts, and produce nearly 100,000 pairs yearly.
96,867 kid-skins, 30,504 goat-skins, 35,436 sheep- skins (for linings), and 40,336 calf and kip skins. (Imagine, if you can, the enormous droves of ani- mals that these figures represent.) The product was sold in the form of 490,877 pairs of boots, shoes, and slippers of various styles for men, women, and children. The firm employ from six to seven hun- dred hands. The sales, which were only $25,000 in 1867, in 1882 reached $978,365. The firm sell as far south as Chattanooga, Tenn., as far west as San Francisco, as far north as St. Paul, and east- ward in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Vail & Crane's Cracker Factory.
This extensive concern is located at Nos. 48 to 56 Woodbridge Street East. The building has a front- age of ninety-five and a depth of eighty feet. It was erected by the firm especially for a cracker manufac-
$ 7. 7.70
SON
SHOE FACTORY OF PINGREE & SMITH, 11, 13, 15, and 17 Woodbridge Street, corner of Griswold Street. Built in 1852.
As it was in 1887.
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
833
and is all utilized for the needs of the busi- ness. In the kneading department masses of dough, large as feather-beds, give indica- tions of the extent of their manufactures. During 1887 they baked 17,074 barrels of flour and used 1, 140 tierces of lard. The bakery is the largest in the State, and has a capacity of one hundred barrels of flour every ten hours. About a dozen varieties of crackers, biscuits, and snaps are made, and shipped to Portland, Boston, New York, Washington, Dakota Territory, Jacksonville, Fla., and intervening points.
Carlton A. Beardsley's Furniture Factory.
This establishment is located on the cor- ner of Congress and Fifth Streets, and is the largest of its kind in the city, and one of the largest in the West.
Only high grades of work are made, ma- hogony and quartered oak being the only woods used, and the goods have a high repu- tation for the originality of their design, the superiority of their workmanship, and the completeness and variety of finish in which they are supplied.
The articles manufactured consist of side- boards, book-cases, music-cabinets, secre-
WAREHOUSE OF GRAY & BAFFY, MANUFACTURING UPHOLSTERERS, 98, 100, and 102 Congress Street West. Built in 1882.
MANUFAC
REF
HUGH JOHNSON'S CARRIAGE FACTORY AND STORES, 102 to 106 Larned Street West. Built in 1871.
taries, parlor desks, cen- ter and library tables, hall, library and dining chairs ; also chests, chif- foniers, and shaving toilets.
One hundred and thirty men are employed, and the sales of furni- ture amount to about $30,000 per month. Shipments are made to Boston Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, and west to Chi- cago, St. Paul, Kansas City, San Francisco, and other points.
Hugh Johnson's Car- riage Establishment.
This factory is located at 102 Larned Street West, and is one of the largest in the city. In addition to a large line of carriages of his own make, new styles of other makers are ob-
EX
191
CARLTON A. BEARDSLEY'S FURNITURE FACTORY, Corner of Congress and Fifth Streets. Built in 1885.
835
MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
tained every spring and fall Particular attention is paid to repair work.
The Johnston Optical Company.
This establishment was founded in the fall of 1876 by George Johnston and Louis Conrath.
JOHN'S
JOHNSTON OPTICAL. CO.'S ESTABLISHMENT. Built in 1888.
Their office was at No. 11, in the Merrill Block. They occupied several adjoining small rooms for repairing and manufacturing, depending upon foot power. Almost immediately they secured a profit- able jobbing trade, their success being chiefly due to the efforts of the senior partner, who achieved enviable distinction as a salesman.
His health failing, Mr. Conrath retired in 1880, and the Johnston Optical Company was soon organized with George Johnston as President, A. C. Johnston as Treasurer, and J. M. Johnston as Vice-President and Secretary.
For four years and a half, beginning with May 1884, the company was located at 146 and 148 Woodward Avenue.
In 1888 they purchased the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and State Street, and erected on the rear of the lot and fronting on State Street a
large four story building, reserving the Washington Avenue front for a future enlargement.
They ship goods to all parts of the United States, to Canada, the Sandwich Islands, etc., and for years have reached their customers on the Pacific Coast through a branch house in San Fran- cisco. Some idea of the extent of their business may be gained by the fact that the average quantity of spectacles and eye glasses kept constantly in stock is about one hundred and fifty thousand pairs, and in the course of a year they handle about half a million pairs. In addition to these goods they manufacture spectacle and eye glass cases, instruments for measuring lenses and testing the eye, and a full line of trial cases, including com- plete outfits for oculists and opticians.
Special interest attaches to their business from the fact that optics, as a system of thought, rests upon an exact scientific basis. This affords to the optical trade an intellectual stimulus and zest unknown to many lines of business. Scientific knowledge of the eye, and skill in fitting it, are of only recent date ; much has been achieved in mastering the subject, but the most that is known has been ac- quired within a generation, and this knowledge is confined to a comparatively small number of ex- perts. The demand for scientific treatment of the eyes is universal; but such treatment will not be possible until dealers in spectacles and eye glasses have generally become familiar with the principles and practice of optics. Perceiving that the great- est need and the greatest prospect of progress lay along this line, the company began some years since the publication of an optical journal. This, in- stead of being filled with the paragraphic chaff which can be gathered in any wind that blows, contains carefully prepared discussions of ocular optics, covering systematic courses of optical study, a column for answers to the queries of readers on questions of practical interest, and sets of review questions on a series of eye studies which, with editorial answers to the same, furnish a catechetical treatise on optics. These, with other interesting features, including prizes in a contest for excellency in answering prize questions, have done much to stimulate an interest in optics, and have made the Johnston Optical Company the pioneers in en- deavor and achievement along an original and all- important line of effort. The interest already awakened betokens a revolution of incalculable value to those now needing or likely to need arti- ficial assistance for their eyes, and in few profes- sions are there larger opportunities for serving the public than in the one in which the members of this corporation are so successfully engaged.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.