4 images show the the rise and fall of venerable A.B. Farquhar Co.
The Gazette and Daily calendar for 1970 shows the the A.B. Farquhar Co.’s North George St., York, plant and part of its product line. ‘The A.B. Farquhar company plant as it appeared in 1904, when the now-abandoned factory was the pride of York’s industrial family,” the calendar stated. (See additional images below.) Also of interest: Check out these stories, photos about A.B. Farquhar and his company.
The deaths of community leaders Bill Simpson and Bud Blakey this week is a reminder that the York County community must see the rise of a future generation of leadership. (See a discussion about that: Who will lead York in the future?)
Of course, the community has been through transitions before, as these images of the venerable A.B. Farquhar Co. illustrate.
What do you think? Who will lead York in the future? Please comment below.
A caption in wrote in 2008: An interesting irony of the farm vs. factory conflict that has marked York County for decades surrounds A.B. Farquhar. His heavy manufacturing factory made agricultural implements, thus bridging these two worlds. Farquhar‘s life was shortened after he was struck by a machine – a vehicle – while out for a walk in the 1920s.
Another caption from 2008: With a portrait of A.B. Farquhar looking on, William J. Fisher, seated, A.B. Farquhar Co. president, and his son, Edward H. Fisher, sold the York, Pa., company to Oliver Corporation in 1951. The farm equipment manufacturer started in 1856 and was one of the prime movers behind the York Plan. Also of interest: After WWII success, Farquhar sells assets to out-of-town outfit.
A third caption from 2008: By 1970, not much was left of Farquhar’s factory, and the city authorized demolition after a 1,000-square-foot section of the company’s abandoned North George Street complex roof collapsed. By this time, York’s industries were losing muscle and their CEOs leadership status, a process continuing to this day. The complex was located approximately where the CGA building and high-rise apartments stand today.
Also of interest:
Who are York’s most influential citizens?
