The York County History Center Collection contains a neat group photo of hundreds of York Manufacturing Company employees; which was tentatively dated circa 1895. On the back is a label for Swords Bros. Photographers, 25 West Market Street, York, PA. This post pinpoints February 3rd, 1902, as the date the
Don Farr submitted a photo of a bell manufactured by Baugher & Bro., of York, PA. The manufacture of bells was a specialized foundry trade and research suggests 150-years-ago Baugher & Bro. might be the first York County foundry to produce bells. The bell has a mouth diameter of 19-inches
Jim Hansen of Helena, Montana, inquired about a product I was not immediately aware of in the A. B. Farquhar Company history. However, research reveals conveyors have a notable place in the Farquhar story and were some of the final products manufactured at the massive Farquhar complex of factory buildings in downtown York.
Join me next Tuesday evening at the Mansion of the Hanover Area Historical Society for my newest presentation exploring forty early Hanover Factories. I’ll examine neat facts concerning these 19th Century Hanover factories; while bringing the story of several of them into the 20th Century. This Hanover Area Historical Society
Publishing houses producing York County newspapers in 1899 were defined by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as factories. York County had three newspapers based in York City that year, however there were also nine newspapers published around the county. I’ll be presenting my talk “Countdown of the Top 50 York County
This undated A. B. Farquhar Company letterhead notes the company was “Formerly A. B. Farquhar & Son.” It lists Arthur B. Farquhar as Chairman and his son William E. Farquhar as Assistant Chairman and Secretary. On January 1, 1889, the business, otherwise known as the Pennsylvania Agricultural Works, was incorporated
This is the earliest view of the York Manufacturing Company along Roosevelt Avenue, a road then named West York Avenue; which runs along the bottom left of the illustration. The York Manufacturing Company had there own passenger railroad station; seen immediately to the right of the factory, next to Roosevelt
In 1882, at twenty-two years old, Milton D. Martin went into the carriage making business with his father Hiram Martin in York. In terms of present addressing, the small startup Carriage Factory of H. Martin & Son initially existed at 319 North George Street for about four years before moving
In 1852, Jacob G. Hauer established the Spring Forge Paper Mill within a former iron forge; it was the first paper mill in what is now Spring Grove. After Jacob died in 1855, his widow Susan hired operators to keep the paper mill running for Jacob’s heirs. By 1863, the
An American Caramel Company ad included photos of their three plants in 1904. This photo shows their York Plant, located on the northwest corner of Broad and Walnut Streets in York. In 1904, American Caramel’s other plants were located in Lancaster and Philadelphia. The ad noted the Home Office was