H. D. Smith & Co.
 | |
| Industry | Manufacturing;[1] |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1850;[1] |
| Headquarters | 24 West St., Plantsville, Connecticut;[1] |
Key people | (1850-1898)[2][3] Henry D. Smith,[2] president; (1893)[1] G. F. Smith, secretary;[1] E. W. Twitchell, treasurer;[1] W. S. Ward, superintendent;[1] and E. P. Hotchkis (1904) L. V. Walkley, president; Louis H. Schmitt, secretary; George R. Bond, treasurer; (1883-April 11, 1909) William. S. Ward, general superintendent.[4][5] |
| Products | Carriage, wagon and sleigh forgings;[1] |
H. D. Smith & Co. was a tool manufacturing company based in Plantsville, Connecticut, founded by Henry D. Smith in 1850.[2]
H.D. Smith & Co. hardware works was originally in Meriden, Connecticut began as a supplier to the carriage makers of New Haven, Connecticut. H.D. Smith later moved to Plantsville, Connecticut where the company originally used leased facilities until they were able to move into the H.D. Smith & Co. works.
H. D. Smith was one of the originators of the drop-forging process,[4] and was described by The New York Times as being one of the pioneers of the carriage Hardware industry.[3]
Around 1900 the company shifted production to bicycle parts and tool kits for automobiles.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j H. D. Smith & Co. (1893), Catalogue of the H.D. Smith & Co: Carriage, Wagon and Sleigh Forgings, Plantsville, Connecticut, Plantsville, Connecticut: H. D. Smith & Co., p. title page
- ^ a b c Kopec, Liz Campbell (2012), Southington: The War Years, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, p. 64
- ^ a b "Hardware Company's Trouble: The H.D. Smith Concern of Meridien, Conn., in Financial Straits.", The New York Times, New York, New York, December 15, 1899
- ^ a b The Carriage Monthly (April 1904), The Carriage Monthly: A Practical Journal for All Interested in Carriage Building, Vol.40, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Ware Bros.
- ^ Iron Age (April 15, 1909), "Obituary", The Iron Age, Volume LXXXIII, David Williams Company, p. 1215
- ^ Plantsville Historic District
External links
[edit]- May, 1893 Catalogue of the H.D. Smith & Co: carriage, wagon and sleigh forgings, Plantsville, CT
- H. D. Smith & Co. of Plantsville, Connecticut history at OldTools Archive
- Plantsville Historic District
- H. D. Smith & CO., Plantsville, CT Makers of the “PERFECT HANDLE” line of tools By Bill Taggart; The Tool Table. The Newsletter of the Richmond Antique Tool Society Volume 15, No. 1
- H. D. Smith & Co. - Plantsville, CT at wkFineTools.com