Bordering, Scoring, Pen Ruler, Knife Man, Sealers, Binders, Trimmers, and Disc Rulers were just some of the tasks and jobs advertised in the Help Wanted ads for the Highland Manufacturing Company. We rarely see these terms used in the context of yesteryear's paper-making and paper-finishing industries.
Patrick J. Judge, the company's founder, was born in Crossmolina, County Mayo, Ireland, on April 22, 1860. His parents relocated to the United States when Mr. Judge was two years old. The family settled in Granby Hollow before moving to South Hadley Falls.
Mr. Judge attended the local public schools, and at the age of 14, he began working as a bobbin boy at the Glasgow Mills in South Hadley Falls. He moved on as a bookkeeper for the Albion Mills in Holyoke, owned by Edward C. Taft.
On September 20, 1881, he married Mart F. Holmes of South Hadley Falls.
He further advanced his career by working for P. Garvin, Inc., a paper mill supply business based in Hartford, Connecticut. Returning to Holyoke, he and his brother, Martin J. Judge, formed the Judge Brothers Paper Company, initially operating in the Whiting Street Building on Main Street, then 185 High Street.
The roots of Highland Manufacturing Company date back to its formation in 1901 at the Whiting Street building. Soon after, the company relocated to 19 Ely Street, as shown in the 1902 Holyoke City Directory.
Patrick J. Judge was listed as the proprietor of the company that manufactured and sold stationery products. This included pads, tablets, ruled papers, and, over the course of its history, many school and stenographers' supplies. A 1904 Holyoke Transcript news article indicated that the Superintendent of Holyoke Schools awarded the contract for pen and pencil paper to Highland Manufacturing.
Around 1905, the company relocated to Cabot Street at the corner of Bigelow. The stay at his location was brief, as two years later, the company had relocated to the Eureka Ruling and Binding Company building, situated near the southern end of Winter Street. Patrick J. Judge's brother, Martin J. Judge, was the principal of Eureka.
The misfortune of one company led to an opportunity for another. The Holyoke Warp Company was going out of business and wanted to sell its plant at 525 Main Street. Highland Manufacturing Co. was interested.
In May 1911, the deed was recorded conveying the real estate to Patrick J. Judge. Highland Manufacturing Company would now settle in what turned out to be its home for the next 54 years. The mill contained 32,000 square feet of space, and it was reported that the purchase price was $100,000. There would also be an opportunity to rent out some mill space to other manufacturers. A map highlighting its Main Street location opposite Adams Street is shown below.
On April 15, 1912, Mr. Judge transferred the real estate to Highland Manufacturing Company. The company was also incorporated and capitalized for $175,000 in 1912. James O'Sullivan of Lowell was elected President, and Patrick Judge was elected Treasurer.
In 1913, the company leased an entire floor of its mill to the Louis Cohen Shirt Company of Boston.
The company was growing and needed an infusion of capital. A preferred stock offering with a 6% rate of return was advertised in 1915.
In 1917, Daniel O'Connell's Sons constructed a one-story, 25-foot by 90-foot addition to the shipping building. Around this time, some manufacturing space was leased to Universal Machine Products Co., which produced machine parts.
Seeking more investment funding in 1920, stockholders voted to increase the company's capital from $175,000 to $300,000. Its current business was operating successfully, and future prospects were promising.
In 1925, an annex was built to expand the office space on the Main Street side of the building.
In 1915, James A. Judge, the only son of Patrick J. Judge, joined the company. He was a graduate of Holyoke High School (1908), Williston Academy (1910), and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1914), earning a degree in electrical engineering. He joined his father in the business in 1915. He became Superintendent of the plant, was then Assistant Treasurer in 1921, and later served as company President in 1928.
In 1934, the Spiral Binding Company, holder of a patent for a new loose-leaf binding, was added to the plant. The binding method was of particular interest to stenographers, who could turn pages much quicker than with bound notebook tablets. Highland Manufacturing had the exclusive contract to manufacture all blank books using this device. The spiral-bound notebooks were in heavy demand in Europe.
The company continued to be awarded school contracts for supplying various converted paper products, including ledger paper, mimeograph paper, construction paper, notebooks, bond paper, envelopes, theme paper, and cards, all of which came in various sizes.
In October 1942, James A. Judge passed away at the age of 52. He had resided with his spouse, Elizabeth (Doyle) Judge, at 1518 Dwight Street.
In 1945, halfway through fulfilling a contract for 400,000 steno pads for the U.S. government, the agreement was terminated. There were no layoffs of its 50 employees, as the company reverted to domestic production for schools, department stores, and other customers.
In 1966, the Main Street mill buildings were sold to neighboring Texon, Inc., which needed an additional 40,000 square feet of space for its mill. Texon would not move in until Highland Manufacturing could secure new space to continue its operations.
In early 1967, Highland Manufacturing moved into a portion of the former Crocker-McElwain building at 102 Cabot Street. The company had 10,000 square feet of space and approximately 15 employees. In November of that year, the company sold its printing division, Judge & Fay Co., to a Connecticut concern.
In 1967, the company was producing spiral notebooks for colleges and was one of four companies in the nation producing spiral notebooks for stenographers.
In November 1967, the machinery and equipment of Highland Manufacturing Company, a paper converter, and Judge & Fay Company, a commercial printer, were sold to W. G. Fry Corporation of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Fry Corp continued to operate under the new corporate name at 102 Cabot Street.
The former Crocker-McElwain factory was owned by the Holyoke Gas & Electric Department. The building had returned to being a site for start-ups and small businesses, much like when Holyoke Water Power Co. owned it in the 19th century.
On July 15, 1970, Highland Manufacturing Company was formally dissolved. I hope to present more of the Judge family's business endeavors in future episodes.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Price & Lee, City of Holyoke (Massachusetts) City Directories.
1911 Richards' Atlas, Holyoke, Massachusetts
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