The W. H. Bullard Thread Company, formed in November 1903, was a late entrant into thread manufacturing in Holyoke, which had begun in the early 1860s. Its initial officers were A. A. Coburn, President and Director; William H. Bullard, Treasurer and Director; C. E. Ball, Director; and the seemingly ever-present business opportunist, George C. Gill.
The first order of business, determining where to set up operations, was resolved in December 1903 by the company's acquisition of the Cressy Thread Company at 10 Appleton Street. This was situated at the corner of Appleton and Bigelow Street. As the acquired business had an excellent reputation, this was a positive beginning for the Bullard Thread Company.
In 1906, the company formed the Bullard Mercantile Company to wholesale dry goods from a shop at 30 Main Street. Holyoke City Directories have no record of the company operating beyond 1910.
In late May 1907, the company required additional space and relocated to the Whiting Street building on Main Street. At about this same time, Mr. Bullard sold a lot he owned at the corner of Appleton and Crescent Street to J. L. Perkins of the B. F. Perkins Company. The latter had future expansion plans in mind.
In 1909, reports surfaced that the company had been sold to the American Thread Company. The reports were denied by American Thread, but an ominous tone for the future was set in motion. In February 1910, J. & P. Coats, of which American Thread was a part, summoned Bullard Thread into the U. S. District Court in Boston for infringing on the Charter Oak label and color of the labels of specific product lines.
The suit was resolved by agreement in mid-August 1910. Had the suit continued, it may have put the Bullard company out of business by expending financial resources fighting the thread trust giant.
In 1911, Bullard Thread purchased a foreclosed mill in Conway, Massachusetts, from the Conway Savings Bank with an eye toward expansion. In November 1912, the mill property was sold.
In 1914, a major fire struck the Whiting Street building, causing $137,000 in losses to various businesses, including $50,000 to Bullard Thread. Bullard Thread moved its machinery to the Highland Manufacturing building on Main Street in the former location of the Holyoke Warp Company. This was a temporary move, as in December 1914, the company made its final relocation to the Rackliffe Building at Suffolk and Railroad (now Heritage Way) Street. This building housed the Suffolk Theater.
The Bullard Thread Company dissolved in 1914, reverting to a sole proprietorship, the W.H. Bullard Thread Company. In 1919, William H. Bullard, living at 141 Lincoln Street, sold the business to F. A. McLane of McLane Silk Company of Turners Falls, Massachusetts. Mr. McLane built a successful business and had his roots in the Skinner Mills. The Holyoke business remained in operation in the Rackliffe Building, producing spool cotton and knitting cotton..
A year later, in 1920, George C. Watson, formerly of American Thread and present manager of the Bullard Thread operation, purchased the stock of McLane Silk. Mr. Watson guided the company forward, and in 1936, he also became President of the Franklin Paper Company, running both companies concurrently.
When the owner of the Suffolk Theater needed more space for storing theatrical equipment, Bullard Thread was placed in a position of needing to move. Rather than relocate, Mr. Watson closed the business in December 1945 and liquidated the equipment.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Holyoke Public Library History Room, online Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
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