USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Nashua > History of the city of Nashua, N.H. > Part 78
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In February, 1891, he removed to more commodious rooms in the lock shop on Spring street, where he perfected his feeding and cloth drying devices. In October of the same year he removed into his own shop on Harbor avenue. To begin with, Mr. White had a little money, some $1,000, a great capacity for work, unbounded pluck, and a somewhat hazy idea as to how his machines should be built. It will readily be seen that he would be imposed upon by his competitors in business, by those who sold him stock, and by most of those with whom he came in contact. He soon passed be- yond his financial depth, but such was the persistence of the man, his honest endeavors, his evident faith in his ultimate success, that he was able to get help, and finally he placed upon the market better, simpler and less costly washing and feeding machines than had been in use. At the same time he perfected other devices adapted to textile manufacture. All this was done under conditions which made success almost impossible, yet when the panic of 1893 struck the country, this shop was the only one in this vicinity that was so driven with orders as to be obliged to work evenings, and even then he was not able to meet his engagements to deliver goods. At present he employs eighteen hands.
The Nashua Iron and Brass Foundry company was incorporated April 1, 1890, by Amos C. Barstow, James H. Cutler, Charles H. Burke, Arthur Baker and Edward W. Dowd. They purchased the entire property of the Nashua Lock company and began the manufacture of iron,
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brass, and composition castings, specialties in cast metal, machine work, etc. For the past two years this company has been manufacturing and placing on the market the Peerless adjustable school furniture for the inventor, G. A. Bobrick of Boston. About 30,000 sets have been sold, principally in New England.
The capital stock of the company is $50,000 and they employ about one hundred men. The present officers are Charles H. Burke, president; A. P. Baker, treasurer; E. W. Dowd, superinten- dent. Besides the manufactory in Nashua the company has an office at 220 Franklin street, Boston.
FURNITURE MANUFACTURE.
Nashua Village, when a part of Dunstable, began to assume some importance as a furniture centre. Manufacturing, however, was only done to a very limited extent by hand workmen. Up to 1840, so far as can now be ascertained, not more than two or three men worked in any one shop, and up to 1850 not more than four or five. In January, 1827, Blanchard & Coggin had a cabinet warehouse "on the south side of Nashua river, in Nashua Village, Dunstable." Later in the year B. Blanchard advertised their business "in the shop formerly occupied by Blanchard & Coggin." These parties were probably together in 1826, and possibly in 1825. Mr. Blanchard soon disappeared as a furniture man, but Mr. Coggin, who was the notable John Coggin of later years, held on to the business in various situations until his death in 1888. We find him, in the same year in which he dissolved connection with Mr. Blanchard, in company with Levi Roby. Their wareroom was "on the east side of the street, opposite J. R. Wiggin's store." They announce themselves as extensive dealers in that, and the next year, and probably continued together about three years.
In 1830 Isaac Spalding, in a flaming advertisement, gave notice of an extensive consignment of furniture.
In a modest way Joel Carter advertised furniture in 1831. In 1832 Williams & Carter advertised warerooms "in Greeley's building, opposite the Indian Head coffee house."
Thomas Atwood & Son also had a furniture wareroom in 1832, and we judge were successors to Williams & Carter. Atwood & Son dissolved in 1835 and were succeeded by Peabody & Rider, who removed to "No. I, Central building, (called also Wilson's building) next door to the bridge," in 1837. Late in 1834 John Coggin announced that he "had removed to the west side of Main street, a few rods south of the Nashua bridge." Somewhat later than this, Oliver P. Phillips appeared upon the scene, and April 12, 1839, advertised for "four or five first rate journeymen cabinet makers." We judge that Mr. Phillips continued the cabinet making business about fifteen years, sometimes at work for himself and sometimes for others. In 1840 "John Coggin & Co." had a manufacturing room in connection with their warerooms "in the first building south of the Nashua bank." In November, 1841, Albert Mckean and John Coggin, under the firm name of Mckean & Coggin, advertised that they had bought the stock and taken the rooms formerly occupied by Merrill & Coggin, over Mckean & Co.'s store, and offered a fine assortment of furniture for sale.
August 3, 1843, Samuel Abbott opened furniture warerooms "in the railroad buildings, opposite the Central house." Late the same year he moved to "the old furniture stand over Gay's store." In 1843 Phillips & Senter were furniture dealers in the south store under the then Universalist church. The Phillips in the firm was probably Oliver P. It does not appear that they were there long.
In 1845 William D. Harris had a cabinet shop in Thayer's building, and for many years did more or less cabinet and coffin work. Mckean & Coggin were not long together. A year or two after the firm was formed Coggin & Fisher succeeded them, and did business under the old First church. This firm dissolved in 1846, Mr. Fisher continuing the business. Soon after this Mr. Fisher died, and Coggin & Merrill took the business and continued it at the same stand about four years, when Mr. Merrill died. The firm soon became Coggin & Pierce, and continued so till about 1860, when Mr. Coggin retired from it and took a store in Nutt's block and continued there about six years. He then moved into Parkinson's building, corner of Main and Pearl streets, and continued there about ten years, the most of the time being in company with George E. Farley, the firm being Coggin & Farley, when Mr. Coggin retired and the firm became Geo. E. Farley & Bro., lasting
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about two years there, when the business was given up. Mr. Coggin then moved into a building of his own, 203 Main street, which he remodelled for the purpose. He died in 1888, and the business fell into the hands of T. F. Keegan, who ran it three or four years, when it was discontinued.
Mr. Coggin had a long and honorable career as a furniture man, extending in Nashua from 1825 or 1826 to the time of his death. He learned his trade in Amherst. Being a practical man he had much to do with the development of the furniture business in Nashua. C. T. Ridgway, at present one of the oldest merchants in Nashua, tells how Mr. Coggin in long years ago trundled bedsteads up from the little mill at the Harbor in a hand cart, and at one time the Rev. Mr. Gage insisted on taking hold and helping and together they trundled the load up to the village. Such furniture work as required turning was probably done at this mill.
About 1849 W. S. Atwood started the furniture business in Beasom block and soon after admitted Mr. Perley, the firm being Atwood & Perley. This was the beginning of a long line of furniture dealers, the succession being Fletcher & Farwell, Fletcher & Brown, Brown & Danforth, E. P. Brown & Co., (the company being J. W. Howard) Howard & Copp, J. W. Howard & Co., Howard & French, Howard, French & Heald, and now J. W. Howard & Co.
In 1850 E. G. Sears started the bedstead making business on Water street. This was the first shop in Nashua where anything in the furniture line was made to any extent for the outside trade. At this time automatic turning lathes came into use and the old-fashioned cord bedsteads were evoluted out of existence, their place being taken by a newer style called cottage bedsteads. This shop represented the new era in this class of furniture work, and the plan of selling and shipping it to distant points. Mr. Sears continued it till 1857, when it was sold to Josephus Baldwin, and by him and his successor, Dr. F. B. Ayer, continued till about 1877. Lewis Kimball was the manager of the business after its sale by Sears till near its close, when Loring Farnsworth for awhile had charge of it.
In 1853 Punkham & Elliott commenced the manufacture of looking-glass and picture frames. This was continued three years, during which time Mr. Elliott retired and A. H. Perkins took his place, and for awhile some furniture was manufactured in addition to their frames. In 1856 a firm was formed in addition to Fletcher & Farwell's retail store, consisting of J. M. Fletcher, L. C. Farwell, A. H. Perkins and Christopher Whiting, under the firm name of Fletcher, Farwell & Co., and the business of manufacturing furniture was commenced by them on Water street in buildings owned by Josephus Baldwin. In a couple of years the business fell into the hands of Mr. Fletcher, who soon after formed a partnership with E. B. Parker of Thornton's Ferry, and it was moved to that place. Mr. Fletcher's interest there expired in 1866, and it was re-established by him in Nashua on East Hollis street in connection with Amos Webster, under the firm name of Fletcher & Webster. The building was a three story and basement one, thirty-five by one hundred feet, and the furniture business occupied the greater part of it. The business grew and these premises were soon too small for it. In 1868 the firm erected a shop on the north side of Harbor pond, getting ready for the next year. In 1869 another shop was erected and the firm moved the furniture part of their business into these new quarters. About four years later a third building was added to the new plant, making, with sheds and attachments, and about two acres of land upon which they are situated, a roomy place of business, which has sometimes employed eighty hands. Soon after occupying their new quarters, L. C. Farwell was admitted into the firm and it became Fletcher, Webster & Co. The prosperity of the firm induced the formation of a stock company in 1868, which was duly incorporated under the laws of New Hampshire, taking the name of Fletcher & Webster Furniture Co., and has so continued till the present time. Mr. Fletcher was the first to start the business, and the last to hold on to it, all the other participants having retired, leaving him manager and proprietor. The goods manu- factured are centre tables, hall-stands, what-nots, folding cribs, swing and rocking cradles, umbrella stands, music racks, etc.
About 1856 Hill & Magoon established the business of bedstead making, as an offshoot of the Sears establishment, and continued some six years. Their shop for a part, if not all of the time, was connected with a saw mill on West Hollis street, north of the cemetery, which was burned after standing a few years. They employed from five to ten hands. Some time during their existence Freeman E. Tupper invented a bedstead fastening, and for a while made bedsteads also, and in con-
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nection with a retail store on Factory street called "Tupper's Museum," had something to do with the furniture business for a good many years, and has recently opened there again.
John Hale, on Water street, manufactured furniture to order, with one or two hands, from 1862 to 1864. T. H. Pinkham succeeded him and followed the same business about three years.
Along in the fifties Alford Fisher commenced making refrigerators on Water street and continued the business ten or fifteen years. Hermon Dane started a retail furniture store in connection with the auction business in 1854 in Thayer's building. His son, H. F. Dane, succeeded him in 1874 and continued the business in the same place till 1892, when it was removed to Water street and is at present located there.
The Nashua Novelty works grew out of the bird cage business which was started in 1856 by Fletcher & Farwell, in addition to their furniture and other business. Over a year was spent in getting up machinery for it before a cage was made. It proved a successful venture. Mr. Farwell retired from it in 1858 and for three years it was carried on by Mr. Fletcher alone. During this time the manufacture of carpet sweepers was added to it. They were made under the Herrick patent, and were the first carpet sweepers made in the world. In 1861 Amos Webster was admitted to the busi- ness, and the firm became Fletcher & Webster. The business was gradually extended and made to include toys, novelties and furniture. About 1864 the business was removed from Beasom hall, which had been its workroom, to the Gage, Murray & Co. card shop building on East Hollis street. In 1869 the business was divided. The furniture part was removed to the new quarters prepared for it on the north side of Harbor pond, and continued under the old name of Fletcher & Webster, while the part that was left behind, which soon became the Nashua Novelty works, was continued there under the name of C. H. Hunt & Co .; Mr. Hunt coming in as a partner in that branch of the busi- ness, and managing it. About a year afterwards Mr. Webster sold out his interest in this concern to S. B. Richardson. Mr. Richardson soon retired and a new firm was formed to run the business consisting of J. M. Fletcher, C. H. Hunt, C. A. Knowlton and H. O. Atwood. In 1871 a commodi- ous new shop was erected for the works on the corner of Otterson and Pond streets. Soon after mov- ing into these new premises Mr. Hunt retired from the concern, and about two years afterwards Mr. Knowlton also retired, leaving only Messrs. Fletcher & Atwood. In 1882 Mr. Atwood also retired and the business has been in the hands of Mr. Fletcher since. The novelty, toy and juvenile features of the business have gradually been displaced by heavier goods in the shape of church and theatre chairs, settees and folding chairs, woodenware articles, etc. An additional shop was built for the concern in 1882, on the opposite side of Otterson street, affording room for a substantial business in this special branch of furniture work.
About 1878 S. I. Fox and a Mr. Gibson, the firm being Fox & Gibson, commenced the manu- facture of chamber suits in Small's block on Lowell street, but Mr. Gibson soon retired and left the business to Mr. Fox. In about a year he moved to the old watch factory building, corner of Main and Bower streets, and continued there till it was burned in November, 1883, employing about fifty hands. He then moved into the buildings on Merrimack street known as Holt's batting works, and about the same time formed a partnership with A. C. Hatch, the firm being Fox & Hatch. They continued there about three and a half years when a fire swept through the works causing the pre- mises to be vacated. They then built a magnificent new shop on Broad street, about a mile up the Wilton track, forty-five by two hundred, with outbuildings, into which they moved in 1885. Soon after occupying their new premises, J. B. Law bought the interest which Mr. Fox had in the business and the new firm became the Nashua Furniture company. This continued till a fire consumed the building in July, 1889. This broke up the firm, but Mr. Hatch, with great energy, rebuilt the entire plant even more substantially than before and continued the business there till August, 1892, when it was relinquished. The buildings were then taken for a box factory. Mr. Hatch went to Wilton and is engaged in his old business there.
About 1885 E. L. Shattuck, E. S. Knight and S. W. Mansfield commenced making centre tables and worked about a dozen hands. Their shop, after getting well under way, was near Pond street. It was destroyed by fire in 1887 and the business was abandoned.
In 1879 J. W. Howard and C. H. French purchased one hundred unfinished chamber suits of S. I. Fox, and branched out as finishers and jobbers of that kind of work, adding to it lounges and lounge frames. From this beginning an extensive business grew up and has continued ever since.
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The firm became Howard & French. They continued to purchase goods made by Mr. Fox for many years, and also from other factories. Their large finishing shop and warehouse on Amherst street, fifty by one hundred and fifty-eight, was built in 1880. A shop at the head of Front street was also occupied by them. Jan. 1, 1888, the firm became Howard, French & Heald, by the admission of David Heald of Milford as a partner, and the firm controlled the output of Mr. Heald's factory in Milford. The building on Front street was burned Jan. 1, 1891, and in 1893 a commodious new four- story building, seventy by eighty, was erected in its place. By a noticeable coincidence this building is on or very near the spot where the little shop stood, scarcely larger than a woodshed, where Mr. Phillips and Mr. Abbott had turned out work by hand in the infancy of the business in Nashua. The firm of Howard, French & Heald was dissolved in 1893, Messrs. French and Heald retiring and concentrating their efforts in Milford, and Mr. Howard forming a new company in the manufacturing part of his business, under the name of the Howard Furniture company, Charles W. Howard being the resident manager. They own and run a mill at Wilton in connection with their business here. Mr. Howard's store and retail department is an entirely separate affair from the manufacturing department, and is a direct successor of the business started by W. S. Atwood in 1850 in Beasom block, as a rival of Coggin & Merrill, under the old First church. The line of succession has before been stated, and the business was all carried on in Beasom block until the erection of Howard block in 1887, when it was removed to spacious new quarters there.
In 1886 Jackman & Sexton moved into Beasom block and added furniture to their carpet business, which had long been carried on on Factory street. Their new quarters were commodious and they at once commanded a large trade. In 1891 a fire burned through their rooms, and in the re-arrangement of things they took in still more room and now occupy the entire north section of the block. Their specialty is retailing, and their spacious rooms offer a fine display, but like nearly all such establishments, they do something through contracts and otherwise in supplying order work.
C. H. Avery was for sixteen years a clerk for Mr. Howard, and for about six months was concerned in Jackman & Sexton's business. In September, 1887, he bought a half interest in the stove and house-furnishing business of C. R. Pease on Factory street, and together they branched out and went extensively into furniture, occupying three store fronts and extensive rear rooms. In 1891 the partnership was dissolved, and since then Mr. Avery has continued the business there alone, but manufacturing only incidental to filling special orders.
C. R. Pease, above referred to, commenced the stove and collateral branches of business in 1879. On separating from Mr. Avery in 1891, he bought out Mr. Power's stove business on the corner of Factory and Water streets, and began to add furniture to it. In 1893 he commenced the building of his four-story and basement block, sixty by one hundred and five, on Pearl street, and in December of the same year moved in and occupied it. This is an unusually commodious building for the furniture and collateral branches of the business, but manufacturing, except tinware and parts of stoves, is not specially connected with it.
The Crosby invalid bed was invented by Dr. Josiah Crosby about 1873, and were first made by hand in Manchester. The business came to Nashua in 1884 under the name of the Sargent Furniture company, but failed of success. In 1886 a new company was formed under the name of the Crosby Invalid Furniture company, and was duly incorporated under the laws of the state. Great improvements were made in the bed at this time. Dr. E. B. Hammond and Henry H. Reed were officers in the company and after their death the stock was absorbed by George W. and Fred Whittemore, under whose control the concern has remained since. For a long time the business was carried on in Small's block, but later it was removed to Water street, where it is now carried on. This bed has received many awards, including one at the World's Fair, and it is quite a feature for Nashua that the name of this bed has been so widely connected with it.
The woven wire mattress business, now a Nashua institution, was started by J. M. Brown in Freemont in 1862. It was moved here and located in Small's block in 1892. In 1893 Thomas Sands became connected with it, and the firm name became The Sands & Brown Manufacturing company. In addition to woven wire goods, furniture has been added to its list of manufactured articles, and it promises to add much to Nashua's importance as a furniture centre.
The Maine Manufacturing company is a recent institution in Nashua. It was started in 1874 in Fairfield, Maine, by John E. Cotton. In 1881 I. Frank Stevens became his partner, and, the business
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greatly prospering, they looked around for more favorable quarters. In 1894 they came to Nashua and purchased three and a half acres of land on Sanders street, including some of the Sanders property, and erected two commodious four-story buildings, one hundred and sixty by fifty, into which they moved in November, 1894. They have conveniences for working about one hundred men.
The bedding and mattress business, as a collateral of the furniture business, has had something of a showing in Nashua. About 1850 Thomas Tollman was in the business in Fisher's block, and later Holt and Jones were in it. The business resulted in their building quite extensive batting and bedding works on Merrimack street. Mr. Jones retired after some fifteen years' connection with it, and Henry Holt continued it until his death about twenty years ago. E. B. Towne, Gilman Scripture and Ira Cross were afterwards concerned in it, but the works in a few years after Holt's death were abandoned for that business, and are now occupied by Porter Blanchard's Sons company in building their noted churns and dairy goods.
These facts comprise mainly the furniture history of Nashua for seventy years, though quite a number of other parties have appeared on the scene as retailers for a short time, and possibly as manufacturers to some extent.
Ex-Mayor Sargent had a connection with the business at one time in company with Lorraine Giddings in the old postoffice building, and E. B. Towne succeeded them. This business altogether ran three or four years. Warren F. Spalding, who afterwards became a bright and witty editor, made lounges and did upholstering in the rear upper rooms of the old postoffice premises. J. M. Perry was a quiet and unobtrusive man, and for many years did upholstering and repairing on Factory street. R. S. Bruce succeeded him. Patrick Conlon is also down as a dealer on Washington street, and A. L. Moore as a dealer in antique furniture on Canal street. Farrier & Wilkinson were dealers in reed and rattan furniture at 203 Main street. Mr. Wilkinson bought out Mr. Farrier and continued the business alone for some time.
Of the many reminiscences of the furniture business, few seem so vivid as the sayings of one old cabinetmaker, who, when bureaus with projection or serpentine fronts came into fashion, invariably referred to them as having injection fronts. The old cabinetmakers made coffins also, and it is said of this man that he was jealous of a new cabinetmaker who came into town. At the first funeral where a coffin made by the new man was used, our friend attended for a special inspection of it, and after- ward spoke of it as "the most illiterate coffin he ever saw."
The practical use of the circular saw is but a little over a century old, and the rotary planer came afterwards. Within the time over which we have gone, gauge, Weymouth, and back-knife lather, irregular moulders, band saws, dovetailing, carving, boring, grooving, sanding and other machines without number, have more than once revolutionized the furniture business. The irregular moulder itself, which was a New Hampshire invention, nearly made a new business of an old one. The writer was among the first to experiment with it, having built a wooden framed one about 1860, upon which a good many got fingers cut off or badly lacerated, but, as the inventor said, "it didn't kill anybody." Even to the last accidents have continually happened in using it. If you want to know how quickly some wood working machinery operates, you may realize it in the fact that a certain workman in a shop under the writer's supervision had a finger taken off by a machine and was not the first to find it out. A companion saw it fall and notified him of the fact before he realized it himself.
Styles of furniture change almost as quickly, sometimes, as machinery works. The style from mahogany to black walnut changed in 1858, after a few premonitory symptoms, in about the twink- ling of an eye. It was not because the latter was a handsomer wood, but because the invisible power of fashion issued an edict that it should be done. Since then new and old styles have been rolling over each other with an ever varying picture as to which was on top. As matters now stand, Nashua is the largest furniture centre in the state and may well be proud of such a distinction.
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