With conflicts arising with the parent New York corporation, Chadwick & Chadwick ceased operating in 1891. A new concern, the Chadwick Plush Company, was incorporated on February 25, 1891, following a meeting of major shareholders held at the Holyoke Savings Bank.
The officers read as a "Who's Who" of Holyoke's nineteenth- and twentieth-century business titans, including William Skinner, president; Joseph Metcalf, treasurer; and directors Whiting, Skinner, and John Chadwick. For several months, an advertisement appeared in the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram soliciting additional shareholders in the newly formed corporation.
The corporation would manufacture seal plush, carriage robes, upholstered goods, and pile fabrics.
In 1892, J. G. Mackintosh replaced Joseph Metcalf as treasurer. Additional directors included Day Chadwick and J. G. Mackintosh.
The company operated in the Cabot Street Mills, and in 1892, new looms and other equipment were installed to double the plant's production capacity.
A strike of over 100 weavers and mule spinners occurred in June 1899. The workers sought a 15% pay increase to restore the wages cut two years prior. The company would not cede to the strikers' demands. Since product prices were fixed for the current calendar year, no wage hikes could be granted, as the company would incur a loss. Most of the workers returned to work in September 1899, and the company agreed to raise their pay in April 1900.
On September 14, 1900, the officers and owners filed a voluntary petition with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to dissolve the corporation. The new entity, Holyoke Plush Company, will be the topic in the third and final installment.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Holyoke Public Library History Room, Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
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