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Coordinates: 42°23′41.69″N 71°34′34.1″W / 42.3949139°N 71.576139°W / 42.3949139; -71.576139
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{{Short description|Defunct company and existing factory building in Hudson, Massachusetts, United States}}
The '''Firestone-Apsley Rubber Company''' was the successor of the '''Apsley Rubber Company''', and was located in [[Hudson, Massachusetts]].
{{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.
 
==History==
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"/>
The '''Goodyear Gossamer Company''' was founded in [[1885]] in Hudson by U.S. congressman and businessman [[Lewis Apsley|Lewis Dewart Apsley]] and [[J.H. Coffin]] of [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]]. This company produced rubber (or "[[gossamer]]") clothing; within the span of five years the Goodyear Gossamer Company had become the largest producer of gossamer garments in the nation. The Apsley Rubber Company came into existence in [[1892]] after Mr. Apsley purchased Mr. Coffin's share of the Goodyear Gossamer Company and reincorporated it as the Apsley Rubber Company. This company produced both rubber clothing and footwear. The Apsley Rubber Company plant employed around 1200 to 2000 people during its existence, more than half of all of those employed in Hudson at the time. The plant was sold to the [[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company]] when Mr. Apsley approached retirement; the plant was renamed the Firestone-Apsley Rubber Company and it produced [[tires]]. A new smokestack was built by the Firestone Company that had the word "Firestone" spelled out on it in bricks painted white. Today, the plant is still existence, but the Firestone-Apsley Rubber Company is long gone. Since [[1963]], the plant has housesd Hudson Lock, LLC, which produces keys and locks. The Firestone smokestack is no longer used but is also still standing, and is quite possibly the tallest structure in the town of Hudson.
 
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}}
 
==References==
*{{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}}
*The Hudson Historical Society. (1976). ''Hudson Bicentennial Scrapbook.'' Private publication.
*{{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}}
 
==See also==
*[[Firestone Tire and Rubber Company]]
 
==External links==
*[http://www.hudsonlock.com/ Hudson Lock, LLC Website]
{{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]]
 
{{coord|42|23|41.69|N|71|34|34.1|W|region:US|display=title}}

Latest revision as of 14:57, 3 October 2023

Firestone–Apsley Rubber Company
IndustryRubber
PredecessorsGoodyear Gossamer Company
Apsley Rubber Company
Founded1885; 139 years ago (1885) in Hudson, Massachusetts, United States
FoundersLewis Dewart Apsley, J. H. Coffin
Defunct1930s
FateFolded during the Great Depression
SuccessorsVictory Plastics
Hudson Lock, LLC
ParentFirestone Tire and Rubber Company

The Firestone–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–Apsley factory building is owned by Hudson Lock, LLC, which produces keys, locks, and related goods.

History

[edit]

The Goodyear Gossamer Company was founded in 1885 in Hudson, Massachusetts, by businessman and later United States congressman Lewis Dewart Apsley and his partner J. H. Coffin of Boston. This company produced rubber or "gossamer" clothing. Within five years, Goodyear Gossamer Company became the largest producer of gossamer garments in the nation.[1]

In 1892 Apsley purchased Coffin's share of Goodyear Gossamer and reincorporated it as the Apsley Rubber Company.[2][3] This company produced rubber clothing and footwear.[3] Apsley expanded the company's brick factory building in 1916.[4] The plant employed between 1200 and 2000 people during its existence, more than half of all people employed in Hudson during that time period.[3]

In 1921 Apsley sold his company and factory buildings to the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.[3] The plant was renamed the Firestone–Apsley Rubber Company and started producing tires. A new 150-foot (46 m) brick smokestack with the word "FIRESTONE" spelled out on it in white–painted bricks was built by the Firestone Company.[3] The factory helped attract immigrants from all over Europe to Hudson. In 1928 at least 19 different languages were spoken by Firestone-Apsley workers.[5] The factory folded in the 1930s during the Great Depression.

From the 1940s through 1960s[3][6] the former Firestone–Apsley factory buildings housed Victory Plastics. This company produced plastic footwear and 18 million plastic scabbards for knives and machetes during World War II.[3] Victory Plastics was recognized with an Army-Navy "E" Award for its contributions to the war effort.[3] Victory continued producing scabbards[6] and other war materiel for use during the Korean War, including plastic–encased land mines designed in collaboration with Dow Chemical Company.[7] The company also added various plastic consumer goods such as thermal cocktail pitchers[8] and condiment sets[9] to their production line.

Since 1963[10] the plant has housed Hudson Lock, LLC, which produces keys, locks, locksmithing tools, and related goods.[11]

The Firestone smokestack still stands. It is quite possibly the tallest structure in the town of Hudson, but is now shorter than its original 150-foot (46 m) height. Sometime in 2017 the smokestack was damaged – or perhaps intentionally lowered for safety reasons – such that it now reads "IRESTONE."

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The Hudson Historical Society 1976
  2. ^ Halprin 2001: 27
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Halprin 2008: 28
  4. ^ Halprin 2008: 9
  5. ^ Halprin 2001: 7
  6. ^ a b Cunningham, Gary (April 2003). "Scabbards by the Millions - Part Two". usmilitaryknives.com. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  7. ^ Fowle, Frank F.; Williams, Melville C.; Handley, Earl L.; Giles, E. Manning; Chadd, Charles M. (17 January 1973). Dart Industries, Inc. v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Appellant's Brief. The Scheffer Press, Inc. pp. 9–12. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  8. ^ "1952 Vintage ad for Victory Plastics Company~Hudson, Massachusetts/pitcher". eBay.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Vintage 1950s Victory Plastics Hudson Mass Aqua Salt Pepper Mustard Spoon Set". Etsy.com. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  10. ^ "About Us". Hudson Lock, LLC. 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Hudson Lock Home Page". Hudson Lock, LLC. 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2020.

References

[edit]
  • Halprin, Lewis; The Hudson Historical Society (2001) [First published 1999]. Images of America: Hudson. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-0073-9.
  • Halprin, Lewis; The Hudson Historical Society (2008). Postcard History Series: Hudson. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-6284-1.
  • The Hudson Historical Society (1976). Hudson Bicentennial Scrapbook. Hudson, MA: Hudson Historical Society private publication.

See also

[edit]
[edit]

42°23′41.69″N 71°34′34.1″W / 42.3949139°N 71.576139°W / 42.3949139; -71.576139

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