Editing Firestone-Apsley Rubber Company

{{Short description|Defunct company and existing factory building in Hudson, Massachusetts, United States}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Firestone{{En dash}}Apsley Rubber Company

| logo =

| image = Apsley Rubber Company, Hudson, MA.jpg

| image_size =

| image_alt =

| image_caption = The Apsley Rubber Company in 1911

| type =

| industry = [[Rubber manufacturing|Rubber]]

| fate = Folded during the [[Great Depression]]

| predecessors = Goodyear Gossamer Company<br>Apsley Rubber Company

| successors = Victory Plastics<br>Hudson Lock, LLC

| founded = {{Start date and age|1885}} in [[Hudson, Massachusetts]], [[United States]]

| founders = [[Lewis D. Apsley|Lewis Dewart Apsley]], J. H. Coffin

| defunct = 1930s

| hq_location_city =

| hq_location_country =

| area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = -->

| key_people =

| products =

| owner = <!-- or: | owners = -->

| num_employees =

| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->

| parent = [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company]]

| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->

}}

The '''Firestone{{En dash}}Apsley Rubber Company''' was a tire company and factory located in [[Hudson, Massachusetts]], [[United States]]. It succeeded the rubber clothing companies '''Apsley Rubber Company''' and '''Goodyear Gossamer Company'''. It operated in its various guises from 1885 to the 1930s. Today the Firestone{{En dash}}Apsley factory building is owned by Hudson Lock, LLC, which produces keys, locks, and related goods.

The Goodyear Gossamer Company was founded in 1885 in Hudson, Massachusetts, by businessman and later United States congressman [[Lewis D. Apsley|Lewis Dewart Apsley]] and his partner J. H. Coffin of [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]. This company produced rubber or "[[Gossamer (fabric)|gossamer]]" clothing. Within five years, Goodyear Gossamer Company became the largest producer of gossamer garments in the nation.<ref name="hudhs1">[[#hudhs|The Hudson Historical Society 1976]]</ref>

In 1892 Apsley purchased Coffin's share of Goodyear Gossamer and reincorporated it as the Apsley Rubber Company.<ref name="halprin-page27">[[#halprin|Halprin 2001]]: 27</ref><ref name="postcard-page28">[[#postcard|Halprin 2008]]: 28</ref> This company produced rubber clothing and footwear.<ref name="postcard-page28"/> Apsley expanded the company's brick factory building in 1916.<ref name="postcard-page9">[[#postcard|Halprin 2008]]: 9</ref> The plant employed between 1200 and 2000 people during its existence, more than half of all people employed in Hudson during that time period.<ref name="postcard-page28"/>

In 1921 Apsley sold his company and factory buildings to the [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company]].<ref name="postcard-page28"/> The plant was renamed the Firestone{{En dash}}Apsley Rubber Company and started producing [[tires]]. A new {{convert|150|ft|m|adj=on}} brick smokestack with the word "FIRESTONE" spelled out on it in white{{En dash}}painted bricks was built by the Firestone Company.<ref name="postcard-page28"/> The factory helped attract immigrants from all over Europe to Hudson. In 1928 at least 19 different languages were spoken by Firestone-Apsley workers.<ref name="halprin-page07">[[#halprin|Halprin 2001]]: 7</ref> The factory folded in the 1930s during the [[Great Depression]].

From the 1940s through 1960s<ref name="postcard-page28"/><ref name="cunningham">{{cite web |last1=Cunningham |first1=Gary |title=Scabbards by the Millions - Part Two |url=http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/bayo_points_7.htm |website=usmilitaryknives.com |accessdate=22 June 2020 |date=April 2003}}</ref> the former Firestone{{En dash}}Apsley factory buildings housed '''Victory Plastics'''. This company produced plastic footwear and 18 million plastic [[scabbard]]s for knives and [[machete]]s during [[World War II]].<ref name="postcard-page28"/> Victory Plastics was recognized with an [[Army-Navy "E" Award]] for its contributions to the war effort.<ref name="postcard-page28"/> Victory continued producing scabbards<ref name="cunningham"/> and other war [[materiel]] for use during the [[Korean War]], including plastic{{En dash}}encased [[land mine]]s designed in collaboration with [[Dow Chemical Company]].<ref name="ab1">{{cite book |last1=Fowle |first1=Frank F. |last2=Williams |first2=Melville C. |last3=Handley |first3=Earl L. |last4=Giles |first4=E. Manning |last5=Chadd |first5=Charles M. |title=Dart Industries, Inc. v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Appellant's Brief |date=17 January 1973 |publisher=The Scheffer Press, Inc. |pages=9–12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CFW60Xo9STQC&q=Victory |accessdate=24 June 2020}}</ref> The company also added various plastic [[final good|consumer goods]] such as thermal cocktail pitchers<ref name="ebay1">{{cite web |title=1952 Vintage ad for Victory Plastics Company~Hudson, Massachusetts/pitcher |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/1952-Vintage-ad-for-Victory-Plastics-Company-Hudson-Massachusetts-pitcher-/401741824337?nma=true&si=M8ui2S6O0iPQINfIsBJcpARXQ%252FQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 |website=[[eBay]].com |accessdate=24 June 2020}}</ref> and [[condiment]] [[salt and pepper shakers|sets]]<ref name="etsy1">{{cite web |title=Vintage 1950s Victory Plastics Hudson Mass Aqua Salt Pepper Mustard Spoon Set |url=https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/648723930/vintage-1950s-victory-plastics-hudson |website=[[Etsy]].com |accessdate=24 June 2020}}</ref> to their production line.

Since 1963<ref name="hlabout">{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.hudsonlock.com/about-us.html |website=Hudson Lock, LLC |accessdate=22 June 2020 |date=2018}}</ref> the plant has housed '''Hudson Lock, LLC''', which produces keys, locks, [[locksmithing]] tools, and related goods.<ref name="hlhome">{{cite web |title=Hudson Lock Home Page |url=http://www.hudsonlock.com/ |website=Hudson Lock, LLC |accessdate=22 June 2020 |date=2018}}</ref>

The Firestone smokestack still stands. It is quite possibly the tallest structure in the town of Hudson, but is now shorter than its original {{convert|150|ft|m|adj=on}} height. Sometime in 2017 the smokestack was damaged {{En dash}} or perhaps intentionally lowered for safety reasons {{En dash}} such that it now reads "IRESTONE."

==Notes==

{{reflist}}

*{{cite book |last1=Halprin |first1=Lewis |author2=The Hudson Historical Society |title=Images of America: Hudson |date=2001 |orig-year= First published 1999 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=[[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston, SC]] |isbn=0-7385-0073-9 |ref=halprin}}

*{{cite book |last1=Halprin |first1=Lewis |author2=The Hudson Historical Society |title=Postcard History Series: Hudson |date=2008 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |isbn=978-0-7385-6284-1 |ref=postcard}}

*{{cite book |author1=The Hudson Historical Society |title=Hudson Bicentennial Scrapbook |date=1976 |publisher=Hudson Historical Society private publication |location=Hudson, MA |ref=hudhs}}

{{Bridgestone Corporation}}

[[Category:Bridgestone]]

[[Category:Companies based in Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hudson, Massachusetts]]

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]

[[Category:Industrial buildings and structures in Massachusetts]]

[[Category:1885 establishments in Massachusetts]]

[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1885]]