In previous editions, several wool and worsted wool manufacturing plants were covered. These included the Beebe & Webber Mills, the New York Woolen Mills, Connor Brothers, and the Holyoke Worsted Mills. All were located along Main Street between Jackson and South Streets. The rear of each mill ran along Race Street across from the Germania Mill, the topic of this four-part series.
My interest is piqued in both the Germania and Livingston Mills, as three of my grandparents and several aunts and uncles were employed there.
In June 1863, plans were set in motion to construct a new woolen mill in Holyoke by Hartford, CT woolen manufacturer N. Kingsbury & Co. The business owned the Springville Company in Hartford, which employed 75 workers producing blue satinets. The new factory in Holyoke would be constructed of brick and a four-story building with eight new machines and 100 employees. It would be the largest woolen factory in the area.
The new factory commenced operations in August 1863. In January 1865, one-half of the business was sold, and Germania Mills was incorporated. N. Kingsbury was President, and the Directors included Hermann Stursberg, whose family name would become synonymous for a century with Germania Mills and its 1934 successor, Livingston Worsted Mills. August Stursberg, brother of H. S. Stursberg, was shown as an agent of the company in 1866.
Hermann Stursberg invested $225,000 in cash of the initial $250,000 capitalization upon incorporation to have a controlling interest in the affairs of the business. Other reports indicated he paid $250k cash of the $300k capitalization. This was equivalent to $4.5 million to $5 million in 2025 dollars.
August Stursberg donated generously to build the German Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1967. In the following year, his generosity contributed to the construction of the Germania Mills block for company workers on Park Street between Jackson and South Canal Streets.
The Stursbergs brought to the business their knowledge and expertise in the woolen trade. The company planned to produce high-quality goods that would rival the imports. The manufacturing process would be slower; the finished products would be acclaimed. In 1867, the Esquimaux overcoats received an award at the Paris Exhibition, and in 1869, the company's products shown at the New York Fair received commendation.
In 1872, an addition was constructed to the mill with washrooms on each floor, an elevator, and staircases. The following year, the company had tunnels built to the south side of South Street between the mills and the addition. The company owned the land bordered by Race (now Beaulieu), Berkshire, and Hancock (now possibly Jubinville) Streets. See the L. J. Richards & Co. 1894 map below.
By 1875, the company was capitalized for $350,000 and employed 200 workers. In 1876, August Strursberg was elected company President, and Hermann Stursberg was elected Treasurer. The company was also operating two factories in Rhenish, Prussia, and Saxony. The company was benefiting from less overseas competition with the failure of many European mills.
The company offices had a display case with many of its woolen and beaver products. All of its products had stitched into the cloth, Germania or Scotia, trimmed in blue, red, white, and gold lettering.
In August 1878, the company was in the midst of a three-month production of blue, black, and brown overcoats. The woolen industry was in a down cycle due to overproduction; however, Germania Mills was limiting its output to prevent overstocking its inventory.
In 1879, the branch line of the Westfield and Holyoke Railroad leading from Germania Mills to the Willimansett and South Hadley Falls bridges and ending at the Parsons Paper Mill was about complete. Many additional mills were on the rail line for transporting finished goods and receiving materials.
From 1880 to 1892, Hermann Stursberg Jr. was affiliated with the Germania Mills.
In 1881, the company produced 150,000 yards of woolens on orders.
The company had a regularly appearing ad in the Holyoke Transcript stating, "Germania Mills, Manufacture fine Beavers, Castors, Overcoatings, and Suitings. Corner of Race and South Streets. Herman Stursberg, Treasurer."
In 1883, Casper Ranger Co. was awarded the contract to construct another addition. G.L. Bosworth & Co. would build the foundation. The location of the project was unstated.
The company had many orders to maintain full-time operations through the summer of 1884, and now had 300 employees. Its dye-house was expanded.
In 1888, Germania Mills joined the Woolen Council, consisting of 150 manufacturing members that produced $69 million in sales annually. In the following year, the mill was shut down from mid-September to mid-November. Mr. Stursburg indicated that this was due to necessary repairs and painting. Rumors persisted that the plant would be permanently closed. However, in late September, the carding department was in operation, and plans called for an October 7 start-up date to resume full production.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; Hartford (Connecticut) Courant; New England Farmer (Boston, Massachusetts); Boston (Massachusetts) Globe; Boston (Massachusetts) Evening Transcript; Greenfield (assachusetts) Recorder; Evening Herald (Fall River, Massachusetts); publication dates and pages are shown.
Holyoke - Chicopee A Perspective, Ella Merkel Dicarlo, Publisher Transcript-Telegram, Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1982
History of Massachusetts Industries, Orra L. Stone, Chapter XXVII-Holyoke, 1930
Ancestry.com (paid subscription), Price & Lee City Directories, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
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