USA > Vermont > Chittenden County > History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 57
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
468
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
The firm of Bronsons, Weston, Dunham & Co. was formed in 1871, and the buildings now used by them for planing and sawing lumber were erect- ed in the following year. About 100 to 150 men are employed, and 20,000,- 000 feet of lumber is annually planed and sawed. A great deal of lumber that does not come to Burlington is exported by this firm from Canada to the East, South, and all foreign markets. The members of the firm are H. F. and E. H. Bronson, J. W. Dunham, A. Weston and H. K. Weaver. The Boston office is at No. 75 State street. Bronsons & Weston manufacture lumber at Ottawa, Ont., and J. W. Dunham & Co. are dealers in New York.
The wholesale manufacture of lumber by John R. Booth, of Ottawa, was be- gun here in the spring of 1876 by U. A. Woodbury, as his manager. This establishment occupies the yards formerly possessed by C. Blodgett, Sons & Co., who started in 1855, though Mr. Booth is not their successor. Mr. Wood- bury handles about 20,000,000 feet of lumber every year, besides the manufac- ture of packing boxes, sash, doors, blinds, etc., which amounts to about $150,- 000 per annum. Here is piling room for 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 feet of lumber. The buildings are the old Pioneer Shops, partly rebuilt after the fire of 1882, which involved a heavy loss to Mr. Booth, and to Wing & Smith, S. C. Kimball, Brink & Co., and B. S. Nichols & Co. The manufacture of sash and the business of glazing was commenced in 1878. The glass is imported from Germany and Belgium.
George R. Holt began the manufacture of bobbins and spools for cotton, silk and woolen in 1869. The several changes in the name under which the business has been conducted are Holt & Hawkins from 1869 until 1873, George R. Holt until 1878, Holt, Barnes & Skillings until 1884, and George R. Holt since. He now does a large business, employing about 125 skilled operatives, and having a capacity for manufacturing 7,000 spools and bobbins a day, which he ships throughout the United States.
C. C. Post began making fixtures for use in the manufacture of maple sugar in 1869, when he invented the well-known Eureka sap spout, of which he has sold more than 12,000,000 in all. He also makes the " common sense " cov- ered bucket, which is made to fit the tree, and all maple sugar making imple- ments.
The making of packing boxes and cloth-boards now carried on by Pope & Watson was begun in 1871 by Mr. Mayo, who sold out on the Ist of January, 1875, to E. A. Pope. William G. Watson was admitted to an interest in the business in the spring following. About 10,000,000 feet of lumber are cut in a year in this manufacture, and the product is sold all over New England. The material chiefly used is pine and spruce. They conduct a similar business in Muskegan, Mich., which is managed by Mr. Watson, while Mr. Pope is manager of this office.
Mathews & Hickok are also engaged in the manufacture of boxes and
469
TOWN AND CITY OF BURLINGTON.
cloth-boards, and are successors to Mathews & Davis, who started the concern in 1871. The present firm, composed of J. M. Mathews and Horatio Hickok, purchased the business in 1875. They cut about 5,000,000 feet of pine annu- ally, turning out $200,000 worth of goods, and employing forty hands. The goods are shipped principally to markets in New England.
In 1872 Albert Taft and E. W. Chase entered into co-partnership under the name of A. Taft & Co., and began the manufacture of doors, sash, blinds, etc., in the Pioneer Shops. While the firm name remained as it was at first, E. P. Shaw succeeded Mr. Chase, E. J. Morgan followed Mr. Shaw, and W. A. Taft bought out the interest of Mr. Morgan. When W. A. Taft went out the name was changed to Taft & Morgan, which it remained until 1879, when T. A. Taft was admitted to an interest, and the name was changed to Taft, Mor- gan & Co. On the Ist of January, 1884, W. A. and A. C. Taft succeeded to Mr. Morgan's interest. The business was brought from the Pioneer Shops to the present buildings on College street in 1877. In 1872 the firm turned out about 100 doors a day, when they were doing good work. They now have a capacity for making at least 400 doors a day, while they confine their trade in sash and blinds to the local demand. They employ about 100 hands. The principal home market is Boston, though they export a great deal, especially to Australia.
E. B. & A. C. Whiting practically started a new branch of industry in 1873 by the manufacture of brush stock, according to inventions which they had patented. They turn out all kinds of brush stock, especially dressed fiber, bristles, horse hair and tampico. Although they sell most of their goods in the United States, they also ship considerably to foreign countries, and part with their machines only to foreign purchasers. They employ from twenty- five to thirty-five hands.
An important and promising industry is the Walker & Hatch Lumber and Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of solid and veneered hard wood work, doors, sash, blinds, stair builders' supplies, and all kinds of house finish. The business was started in 1874 by David Walker and D. F. Hatch. C. E. Macomber was admitted to an interest in the concern in 1882, and the firm name of Walker, Hatch & Co. adopted. The present stock company was chartered on the 12th of August, 1885, with a capital stock of $50,000. The officers are D. F. Hatch, president ; David Walker, vice-president ; Gilbert Harris, treasurer ; C. E. Macomber, secretary, and F. B. Howe, clerk. At the time of the incorporation of this company they purchased the stock and interest of the Burlington Spoke Company and the Winooski Lumber Com- pany. They make something of a speciality of the Stevens sliding blind, which is one of the best inside blinds manufactured. The buildings, situated on a five-acre plot on Winooski River, consist of a mill about 200 x 50 feet and three stories high, adjoining a saw-mill, boiler and shaving rooms, offices and
470
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
sheds, and twelve large kilns for the drying of lumber, heated and arranged by the most approved methods.
W. F. Moulton has for a number of years been engaged in the manu- facture of patent eave troughs, improved Lemon drills, and lightning rods.
The Porter Manufacturing Company, dealers in screen doors and window frames of their own make, received a charter on the 8th day of August, 1881, with the following officers: C. M. Spaulding, president ; E. W. Peck, vice- president ; T. F. Edgar, secretary and treasurer, and L. G. Burnham, mana- ger. The present officers are George D. Wright, president ; Elias Lyman, vice-president ; Buel J. Derby, treasurer ; B. F. Van Vliet, manager, and W. H. H. Conner, superintendent and secretary. The frames which this company manufacture are the invention of E. N. Porter, of Hardwick, and were orig- inated in 1879. The goods find a market in nearly every State in the Union, and large quantities have been shipped abroad, even to Australia.
The Baldwin Manufacturing Company .- The Baldwin dry air refrigerator was invented and first made by Judson A. Baldwin, of Shelburne, in 1880. In January of the following year the firm of Baldwin & White was formed, and the business increased. The factory was removed from the dwelling house of the inventor to the upper story of his partner's cheese factory. From six to ten men were employed and about 100 refrigerators were turned out the first year. In August, 1882, the Baldwin Manufacturing Company was organ- ized, which assumed the business and patents, removed the factory to a loca- tion nearer the railroad station, and increased their working force to about forty men. In May, 1883, the Blodgett planing-mill was leased at Burlington and soon after occupied in connection with the Shelburne mill by the company. At the close of the season, however, it was deemed expedient to consolidate the two branches at Burlington, which, with all the attendant enlargements and improvements in buildings, was accordingly done. Among the valuable im- provements added to the construction of the original invention may be men- tioned the " cold wave refrigerator," the patent lever wedge fastener, etc. The company have had exhibits at all the leading fairs and expositions in the coun- try, notably at New Orleans, where they took two gold medals for different parts of their exhibits. From seventy-five to 100 men are employed, and the factories are running night and day. The present officers of the company are E. W. Peck, president and treasurer ; W. A. Crombie, vice-president ; E. E. Greenleaf, secretary ; Joel Linsley, manager. Directors, T. S. Peck, G. H. Storrs, E. E. Greenleaf, and Joel Linsley.
The Burlington Shade Roller Company, incorporated in March, 1883, at that time succeeded to the business of R. M. Platt, who had for several years been manufacturing shade rollers at Burlington, after a number of years in the same interest in Vergennes. The products of this industry are rollers and slats for curtain fixtures. The annual sales are about $60,000. The present
47I
TOWN AND CITY OF BURLINGTON.
officers and directors are: Directors, W. A. Crombie, David G. Crane, Clarence A. Murray, Samual A. Drew, Thomas Rose, T. S. Peck, and D. H. Lewis, of Vergennes ; president, W. A. Crombie; vice-president, David G. Crane; treasurer, Samuel A. Drew ; secretary, George E. Davis.
J. W. Johnson & Co. are a new firm and engaged in a new business for Burlington, viz., the manufacture of toboggans, which began in the fall of 1885, under a patent of J. R. McClary, of Montreal, which they have since pur- chased for the United States. During their first winter they manufactured 1,500 toboggans, and have a fair prospect of turning ont about 10,000 during the next year. They employ sixty men at present. They do not confine themselves to the manufacture of toboggans, but make also all kinds of gym- nastic apparatus, etc.
The Venetian Blind Company was incorporated on the 2d of April, 1884, with a capital stock of $10,000. They make English and American Venetian blinds and Hill's patent inside sliding blinds. The present officers are W. E. Marsh, president ; B. F. Van Vliet, vice-president ; C. R. Palmer, secretary and treasurer ; and George D. Wright, manager. The present shop was erected in the summer of 1885, and was well running on the Ist of September. Mr. Wright became the efficient manager of the business on the 5th of June, 1885.
Carriage Manufacturers, etc .- The oldest (in business) carriage manufac- turer in the city is H. A. Ray, who began to make carriages and cutters here in 1857. He makes a speciality of Concord side-spring wagons, and sells on an average 125 wagons and fifty sleighs per annum. He employs from twelve to fifteen men.
William Smith first engaged in the manufacture of carriages in Burlington in 1860. The present firm of William Smith & Co. was formed in 1882 by the admission to the business of Alexander Deyette and J. H. Tuttle. They deal also in the Concord side-spring wagon. Their sales for 1885 amounted to seventy-five new carriages. Ten hands are employed.
Jerry Lee purchased the business of Heman Vickery in 1876, and has car- ried on the work of manufacturing and repairing carriages and sleighs since that time. He employs ten hands and carries on a business worth about $8,- 000 a year, $4,000 of which is for new work.
The furniture establishment of Henry J. Nelson, taken together with its predecessor, dates its origin back to the year 1834, when Charles L. Nelson came to Burlington from Massachusetts and engaged in the sale of furniture. He continued successfully at work in this line until 1860, when his son, the present proprietor, assumed the control and management and has remained proprietor to date. It is thus one of the oldest houses in Vermont, and, like good wine, improves with age. He carries a large assortment of common, medium and fine furniture, and has furnished the finest residences in the city, besides the University buildings and other public buildings and halls. His
472
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
business amounts to from $60,000 to $75,000 per annum, and he always carries a stock of $25,000. The building which he occupies is entirely taken up with his business. It extends 52 x 90 feet. Mr. Nelson makes a specialty of fine draperies, upholsterings, curtains, window-shades and parlor goods. He would be classed among the mercantile interests but for the fact that a part of the time he has engaged in the manufacture of furniture at Winooski.
C. H. Sager has been engaged in the manufacture of furniture and picture- frames here since 1879, making the latter a specialty. He employs three men.
Joseph Lowy, upholsterer, began business in Burlington in 1882, and now manufactures all kinds of furniture to order, furnishing houses and supplying window-shades, draperies, etc.
George A. Hall came here from Chester, Vt., and purchased the business. of C. C. Allen & Son in November, 1885. He suffered a considerable loss from fire on the 26th of January following, and on the Ist of April moved into the rink, where he has ample room to display his extensive assortment of furniture. Mr. Hall carries a stock of draperies and lace curtains which, with his other goods, amounts to the value of $10,000. He does a jobbing busi- ness of parlor suits, lounges and students' chairs.
Iron Works, etc .- The extensive business of Edwards, Stevens & Co., manufacturers of machinists' tools, planing machines, circular saw-mills, mill gearing, shafting, hangers, pulleys, wood-turning lathes, flour-mill machinery, water wheels, and all mill and machine work, was practically developed to its- present proportions by Edwards & White, who succeeded Mr. Edwards, and were in turn succeeded by Edwards & Stevens in 1858. In 1868 Frank Jubell was taken into the firm and the firm name of Edwards, Stevens & Co. adopted. In addition to their business as manufacturers at Winooski this firm contracts for the construction and furnishing of circular saw-mills and grist- mills all through the country. About forty men are continually employed, the pay-roll of the firm being about $1,000 a month. Most of their manufac- tured goods are shipped to points in New England and Northern New York.
In 1867 B. S. Nichols, who had for two years been in the employ of the Burlington Manufacturing Company, purchased the machine manufactory of J. P. Flanders & Co., who had been in the business in a small way for sev- eral years before. Mr. Nichols began to enlarge the works, and in 1870 took into partnership F. G. Coggin and L. S. Woodbury. They went out in 1878, and in the year following the present associate with Mr. Nichols, William H. Lang, assumed an interest in the business. They now employ from twenty to. sixty hands, and make all kinds of water-works and mill machinery, and, when required, turn out a remarkable steam fire engine. Mr. Nichols bought the Pioneer Shops of L. Barnes & Co. in 1868, and afterwards sold them to J. R. Booth in 1882. After the fire of 1882 they immediately rebuilt the present works.
473
TOWN AND CITY OF BURLINGTON.
W. H. Brink has been a brass and iron founder in Burlington for about twenty-five years. He manufactures heavy castings and employs from three to eight men.
The manufacture of portable galvanized ovens was commenced in the year 1854 by Blodgett & Sweet. The present firm membership is Blodgett & Holden. The manufacture of these ovens has been carried on under four sev- eral patents. No industry in the country can boast of a more extended market than this. Their goods are found all through foreign lands, in England, Aus- tria and Turkey. "Every missionary going out under the American Board takes one of the ovens with him." From 700 to 800 are sold annually. The firm also deal extensively in stoves, ranges, furnaces, steam and gas fittings. About twenty men are employed.
Marble, Granite, etc .- H. M. Phelps & Co., granite finishers, are success- ors to the business established by H. M. Phelps in 1863. At that time he con- fined his operations to the marble business, but gradually worked into a busi- ness in granite, until now he deals in nothing else. In 1885 he took his son, W. S. Phelps, into partnership with him. They own and operate a quarry at Barre, Vt., and have a business of about $45,000 per annum, chiefly whole- sale, employing about forty men. They make curbings, monuments and ped- estals. Their goods are shipped largely to the West, although a considerable trade is springing up with the South.
The Burlington Manufacturing Company was incorporated on the Ist of March, 1865, and Levi Underwood, Lawrence Barnes, Louis Follett, B. J. Heineberg, A. L. Catlin, L. B. Platt and Jo D. Hatch were chosen first direct- ors. Levi Underwood was made president, Louis Follett, clerk, and Lawrence Barnes treasurer of the new company. Nothing was done of moment until 1870, when the company was officered nearly as at present. The capital stock is now $200,000. Including the men employed in the quarries, no fewer than five hundred or six hundred men contribute to the products of this company. The present officers are T. E. Wales, president ; C. R. Hayward, secretary ; L. Barnes, treasurer ; and F. W. Smith, agent. They are dealers in Florence, Lepanto, French Gray, Empire Shell, Moriah, Italian and Black marbles, and are also manufacturers of marble floor tiling in all grades. They transact a heavy business, their trade extending to all parts of the New England, Middle and Western States. Their western office, under the management of E. R. Brainerd, is situated at the corner of Michigan avenue and Van Buren street. They draw largely from the quarries at Plattsburgh, Port Henry and Catskill, N. Y., and Pittsford, Vt. They have completed contracts for wainscoting and tiling government buildings in nearly every State in the Union, among the finest being the Cook county court-house in Chicago, the post-office buildings in New York, Chicago and Cincinnati, the State houses at Indianapolis, Ind., and Springfield, Ill., court-house at Dakota, the Lick Observatory at San Francisco, and two hotels - the Palace and Baldwin - at San Francisco.
474
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
In 1868 Walker Brothers began dealing in marble, granite and Isle La Motte stone, and continued together until 1881, when the present proprietor, L. A. Walker, assumed the control of the entire business. He employs about fifteen men, and does a business of about $10,000 to $15,000 a year. He imports Scotch granites, handles Kingston flagging and curbings, but chiefly works Barre granite. He has a considerable wholesale trade with the West, and has a large retail trade in Vermont and Northern New York, producing principally monuments, copings and building stone.
The business now in the hands of J. V. Goodell was established by Goodell, Hayward and Smith in 1875, under the name of J. W.Goodell & Co. In 1885 Mr. Goodell succeeded to the interest of his former partners and now has sole charge. He employs from fifty to 150 men, and transacts a business amount- ing to $100,000 or $200,000 every year. He works Quincy, Westerly and Barre granite, chiefly the latter, and deals also in all kinds of foreign and do- mestic granites, doing a wholesale trade. . He has yards, buildings and all the facilities for a large business. His specialty lies in fine carving, designing and statuary work, finishing copings, headstones, building work, flagging and curb- ing stone. His goods are shipped all over the country. He is the better en- abled to turn out satisfactory work with the aid of steam power and all the latest machinery.
Miscellaneous - About 1830 E. L. Farrar built a pottery on the south side of Pearl street, between Church and St. Paul streets, which was afterwards en- larged by Ballard Brothers and retained by them until 1874. The present proprietor, Franklin Woodworth, bought it, and now does an extensive busi- ness, employing from ten to twenty men. It is the only house of the kind in the State, excepting one at Bennington. He manufactures jugs, jars, churns, lawn vases, and stoneware and Rockingham ware generally, and has an income from the business of about $40,000 annually. His wares are shipped to all parts of New England and New York.
Francis Le Clair began the manufacture of brick in Burlington and Wi- nooski twenty-five years ago. The Burlington yards are on the Winooski lower road. The business is worth about $12,000 per annum. He makes in all about 2,000,000 a year, two-thirds of which come from the Burlington yards. Thirty-five men are kept at work.
Henry Greene has an extended trade in Northern New York and Vermont in leather and findings, in which he has dealt for about seventeen years in Bur- lington. For a number of years he sold hides, skins, pelt, lime and hair, but of late has confined his business to leather and findings.
George W. Lee represents a good class of contractors and builders, em- ploying as he does from thirty to fifty men, and doing all kinds of joiner work. He has been in engaged in Burlington since 1865. H. J. E. Bailey is also a contractor and builder, and employs about ten men.
475
TOWN AND CITY OF BURLINGTON.
James Wakefield, maker of sails and rigging, awnings, tents, wagon covers, flags, tackle-blocks, and tarred and manilla cordage, has carried on the business in Burlington for twenty years. He employs four hands.
The Burlington Shirt Company was incorporated on the 16th of February, 1876. The product of this industry is made by the newest machinery, oper- ated by steam. From twelve to twenty-five hands are employed. The busi- ness is worth at least $25,000 or $30,000 per annum. The trade is best in New England, where they have earned a good reputation for the first class quality of their goods. The prices of the shirts made vary from twenty-four to sixty dollars per dozen. The present officers are as follows : Henry Loomis, president ; George F. Pope, vice-president ; C. C. Miller, secretary ; and J. A. Clapp, treasurer and general manager.
William Scott, book-binder, has been engaged in this business in Burlington more than twenty-five years. He does all kinds of binding and manufactures paper boxes extensively. Ten hands are employed. That his work is well done is attested by the fact that he is at present engaged in binding G. G. Ben- edict's Vermont in the Civil War.
The Queen City Soap Works were started in 1876, and have steadily in- creased in quality of work and volume of business from the first. The works are now carried on by O. S. Dodds and Herald Stevens, in a large building erected for the purpose at 104 First street. They employ five men ; make " the best stearine candles in the market," and manufacture about 520,000 pounds of laundry and large quantities of toilet and castile soap every year.
The firm of Arbuckle & Co., manufacturers of candies and cigars, and wholesale tobacconists, are successors to D. A. Van Namee, Thomas Arbuckle having bought him out in 1870. The other members of the firm are Lester Brayton and M. H. Landon. This is the largest house of the kind in the State, the trade extending throughout Vermont, New Hampshire and Eastern New York.
The Brush-Swan Electric Light and Power Company, so named after the Brush arc and Swan incandescent systems, was chartered on the 25th of July, 1885, for the purpose of furnishing private and public lights in Burlington and Winooski. The capital stock is $50,000. The plant is operated by water power and is situated at Winooski Falls. A two mile circuit is lighted with- out trouble. The company is now officered as follows : F. C. Kennedy, pres- ident, George W. Wales, clerk, and L. E. Woodhouse, treasurer.
T. A. Wheelock has been engaged in the business of plumbing in Burling- ton for more than twenty-five years, and in the building he now occupies for ten years. A. B. Kingsland became his partner in 1883, and the firm name of Wheelock & Kingsland was then adopted. They have done as much as $75,000 worth of work in a year.
The Champlain Shops, on the corner of Main and Battery streets, are
476
HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.
owned by W. J. Van Patten. They include a main building which has a front- age of two hundred feet on Battery street and fifty on Main, two stories high, and the two-story building next cast, which is occupied by the American Milk Sugar Company, besides capacious engine and boiler houses, shaving sheds and dry houses. The buildings are all constructed after the most approved pat- terns, the main building being especially a model structure. It is equipped with the Walworth automatic sprinkler as a guard against fire, a system con- sisting of water pipes passing across the rooms at right angles just below the ceiling, with automatic sprinklers at such intervals that every ten feet square is guarded by a sprinkler. The shops represent quite a diversity of interests, the entire premises being leased by J. W. Johnson, who furnishes power and heat and sub-lets to various occupants. The north portion of the main build- ing is leased by Wing & Smith, manufacturers of lasts ; next to them is con- ducted the manufacture of toboggans by J. W. Johnson and Co. The Fergu- son Manufacturing Company, engaged in making the Ferguson bureau cream- eries, and cabinets for diamond dyes, as well as packing boxes of all sizes and descriptions, also has quarters here. In these shops also is carried on the man- ufacture of milk sugar, by a company of Burlington capitalists under the name of the American Milk Sugar Company, which promises to revolutionize the market for that product. The manufacture of milk sugar was until recently confined almost exclusively to Switzerland and the supply controlled with the effect of keeping up the price. The discoveries of Prof. Sabin bids fair to in- crease the supply and cheapen its production.
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.