Over the course of writing this blog, many products, in addition to textiles, paper and paper products, were manufactured in Holyoke. Factories produced machinery, television tubes, chains, tires, furniture, toys and games, cutlery, bicycles, brooms, transformers, medical supplies, cleaning products and many other goods. How about a machine shop that manufactured, among other commodities, military tank parts? Well, that's the subject of today's story, the Dwight Machine & Tool Company.
Edward A. Wiley, born in 1920, was raised and educated in Chicopee. He was an Army veteran of World War II. After his discharge from military service, he was employed as a machinist for the J. W. Jolly Company in Holyoke.
At age 30, in 1950, he formed the Dwight Machine & Tool Company, which was originally located in the former Waregan Paper Company building in the Beebe-Holbrook complex at 420 Dwight Street. The company had six employees, including the owner and his spouse, Helen B. Wiley, who managed the office and the machinists. Much of the factory work involved turning and stoning cylinders for rotogravure printing.
In July 1951, the company received an $11,000 government contract to produce replacement parts for military tanks. This included door latches, bearing housings, and wheels. The company had until October 31st of that year to complete the contract.
At the time, the company was also planning to relocate to a larger space, also in the Beebe-Holbrook complex. The move was completed to 380 Dwight Street.
The company continued in business until about 1960. The company was not listed in the 1961 Holyoke City Directory, nor was there any further news about its disposition. Mr. Wiley was shown as a machinist employed in Holyoke in 1962 and, later, in 1967, as a foreman for the J. W. Jolly Company.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
