A small company that operated for 79 years, with 60 of those years owned by the same family, is a story worth sharing. This is the history of the Holyoke Bar Company.
The Holyoke Bar Company was formed in early 1889, with J. H. Home, the President, and E. W. Lovejoy, the Treasurer. It was purchased from Davis and Frost. The company was in the business of manufacturing engine bars, rag cutting and paper trimming knives, and parts for various cutting machines used by the paper industry.
The company's initial location was on Bigelow Street in space rented from the Farr-Alpaca Company. In 1891, the company purchased a six-foot-high, 4,000-pound grinding machine for its knifework.
Putting its weight in perspective, a two-ton grindstone exploded, and a half-ton piece hurtled through a wall and windows, landing on Bigelow Street. In the same incident, another similarly sized piece destroyed some equipment and moved an upright pillar supporting the roof several inches. Amazingly, no one was injured.
At the annual corporate meeting held in early 1905, Fred E. Maxfield was elected President, succeeding E. E. Horne, who died the previous year.
In 1909, the Holyoke Bar Company sought land to build its own factory. The site of the new mill was on land owned by Holyoke Water Power Company on Berkshire Street, adjacent to the proposed Baker-Vawter mill building.
The architect was S. M. Green, and the builder was Andrew D. McCormick. The anticipated cost of the mill was $25,000.
The foundation was set in place in May 1909. The two-story main building was 70 feet by 40 feet and housed the woodworking department and company offices. A one-story extension, measuring 40 feet by 146 feet, housed the grinding and inventory department. The forging shop was located in the final extension.
On October 8, 1909, the company was in the process of moving to its new mill. Farr-Alpaca was tearing down buildings along Bigelow Street to be replaced by weave sheds, once the rubble was cleared.
In July 1910, Holyoke Bar Company purchased the mill site it had been leasing from the Holyoke Water Power Company.
In 1940, Mrs. Anna. J. Szymanski of 37 Prospect Street was President, and Fred E. Maxfield of 27 Lawler Street was Treasurer. The business continued since 1891 under the helm of the Maxfield family.
In 1951, the company was sold to Abraham Cohen, the owner of the Holyoke Warehouse Company at Crescent and Park (now Clemente) Streets. The company continued operating until 1970, when it ceased operating.
In 1978, the mill building was sold to Gary Barber for $45,000. On June 30, 1986, Mr. Barber sold the building to Holyoke Energy Recovery Company Inc. for $320,000. On August 20, 1990, the parcel was conveyed to Partyka/McCormack Holyoke Realty Trust. Presently, the property is owned by Holyoke Transfer and Recycling Realty, LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts
Assessors' Office, Holyoke, Massachusetts
- 1915- Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts
-
No comments:
Post a Comment