B. F. Perkins & Son, Inc. (Pt. 3 1910-1920)

By 1910, J. Lewis Perkins, the son of B.F. Perkins had been associated with and well-versed in the business operation for over 20 years. The business had grown since its inception, and further space and more workers were needed.

In 1911, Casper Ranger Construction was awarded the $30,000 contract to construct a 2-story factory addition on Crescent Street. The plant would be 100 by 200 feet, affording 40,000 additional square feet of floor space. The company anticipated hiring 40 additional workers in the expanding novelty end of the business. The company could not keep up with the demand for paper towels and tablecloths.

In 1913, H. C. Avery of the B.F. Perkins Company gave a presentation at a city hall conference, indicating the struggles manufacturers were having in acquiring inexpensive land in Holyoke near rail sidings. The cost of such land in Holyoke was 65 to 70¢ per foot, while a few miles away in Willimansett, land was selling for 3 to 4¢ per foot.

The company was building a new factory on Winter Street between Appleton and East Dwight for $15,000.

In 1915, a report circulated that the company had been awarded an $85,000 contract to supply machinery for munitions production to the Westinghouse Electric Company, which had now acquired plants in Chicopee Falls and Springfield.

Former Holyoke resident, John W. Mullen, regarded as one of the best paper makers in the city, died. He invented the Mullen paper tester, which became the paper industry's standard for measuring paper strength. The device was manufactured by the B. F. Perkins & Son mill. Another great inventor employed by B. F. Perkins was Charles E. Pope, who obtained a patent for his paper pulp screen. This was also produced at B. F. Perkins & Son.

In 1919, the company purchased another large tract of land in Willimansett at 893 Chicopee Street. The land was adjacent to the 6 acres purchased in the early 1900s in the Montgomery Street area. Tenants living in the houses on the newly purchased property were ordered out by August 1, 1919, when construction was slated to begin.

The rumblings surrounding the company's move from Holyoke came to fruition, and the story will be told in Part 4.

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.

Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories

Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts