Industries of Union City
Miss Lucy Knickerbocker, Union City High School
Industry is the foundation of all work. Adam was obliged to work when he was sent from the Garden of Eden. And as we are all descendants of him so are we inheritors of his labor.
Industries are to be found all over the world. No city of its size can boast of more live and prosperous manufacturing establishments than can Union City. It is one of the most prosperous boroughs in Western Pennsylvania. There are no less than twenty-three manufacturing industries in our town of which the population does not exceed three thousand inhabitants.
The principal industries are the chair factories and the Novelty Wood Works. The Union City Chair Company is the oldest, it having been first established in 1881. From one hundred to one hundred and twenty five men are employed all the time, and about sixteen hundred or two thousand chairs are turned out daily. The trade is principally east of the Mississippi.
The Keystone Chair Factory turns out about the same number of chairs daily, and employs about 150 men.
The Cheney Chair Company employs from eight to one hundred men and manufactures a thousand chairs per day. The factory is lighted from its own dynamo and is provided with a suction fan which carries away the dust and fine shavings.
The great part of the lumber consumed here is shipped from the West – Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana.
The Novelty Wood Works will be remembered as the originator of the modern drawing board which has reached to wide fame. Thousands of these boards are shipped to Indian, South Africa, New Zealand and to nearly every country in the world. This establishment also manufactures chairs, desks and other articles of furniture.
Then we have the lumber mills which are constantly growing in capacity as well as in popularity. The mill of Haniel Clark & Son is the oldest, having been established in 1865. From fifteen to twenty men are employed the year round. This firm also has an extensive flour mill and a planning mill.
Caflisch Brothers have a large sawmill here, also one at Concord, a neighboring town. Their business is quite extensive. They have too a planning mill which besides doing a great amount of rough work does most of the finer work for the Union City Chair Company.
The mill owned by Kamerer & Sons has an extensive local business. The general line of work is the manufacture of lumber. The planning mill does most of the finer work and finishing, although some rough lumber is cut. The bottoms for the leather chair seats are made by them. This work of the Cheney Chair Company and the Keystone Chair Factory is mostly done by Mr. Loomis.
Then there is the broom factory of E.W. Hatch and Sons. About thirty dozen brooms per day are made. They consume about eighty tons of corn yearly, about one hundred thousand pounds of broom wire and six hundred pounds of twine. The average price per dozen at present is three dollars. The mode of business is by mail solicitation and commercial travel.
The furniture factory formerly owned by the firm of Blanchard & Hanson and now owned by Mr. Hanson alone, is doing a fine line of work.
We have two basket factories, one owned by Jones & Sons, who are employed in the manufacture of baskets and cheese boxes and the other by Bush & Seymour who are principally engaged in making baskets.
The buying and shipping of country produce forms quite a factor in the business of the city. A large amount of wheat, corn and other grains is brought in from the country.
About five hundred sacks of wheat flour are made daily at the Anchor Mills, besides which a considerable amount of other grain is consumed. About ten per cent of the flour made here finds a home in foreign markets. The mill of Clark & Company turns out several hundred sacks of flour daily.
The Caflisch mill uses corn and other grain, now wheat flour being manufactured here. Mr. Cook also has a feed mill and has worked up quite a large local business.
The Union City Creamery, the only establishment of the kind in the town, makes from five to six hundred pounds of butter per day and receives about 13,500 pounds of milk.
Something must be done with the surplus hay which the farmers have, therefore, we have men who make a business of buying up the hay. Mr. Mitchell is a wholesale dealer in hay, straw and other produce. The shipments of the concern reach nearly every eastern state. Mr. L.D. Shreve is also a dealer in hay and has a wide range of business.
Besides what we have mentioned, are the Iron Works. Mr. Warden is a builder of engines, brass and iron fittings and special machinery. Mr. Dunmyer is also engaged in the same business.
Time and space prevent more than a mere mention of these various industries, but their business is none the less diminished or their influence felt.
Industry is the foundation of all work. Adam was obliged to work when he was sent from the Garden of Eden. And as we are all descendants of him so are we inheritors of his labor.
Industries are to be found all over the world. No city of its size can boast of more live and prosperous manufacturing establishments than can Union City. It is one of the most prosperous boroughs in Western Pennsylvania. There are no less than twenty-three manufacturing industries in our town of which the population does not exceed three thousand inhabitants.
The principal industries are the chair factories and the Novelty Wood Works. The Union City Chair Company is the oldest, it having been first established in 1881. From one hundred to one hundred and twenty five men are employed all the time, and about sixteen hundred or two thousand chairs are turned out daily. The trade is principally east of the Mississippi.
The Keystone Chair Factory turns out about the same number of chairs daily, and employs about 150 men.
The Cheney Chair Company employs from eight to one hundred men and manufactures a thousand chairs per day. The factory is lighted from its own dynamo and is provided with a suction fan which carries away the dust and fine shavings.
The great part of the lumber consumed here is shipped from the West – Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana.
The Novelty Wood Works will be remembered as the originator of the modern drawing board which has reached to wide fame. Thousands of these boards are shipped to Indian, South Africa, New Zealand and to nearly every country in the world. This establishment also manufactures chairs, desks and other articles of furniture.
Then we have the lumber mills which are constantly growing in capacity as well as in popularity. The mill of Haniel Clark & Son is the oldest, having been established in 1865. From fifteen to twenty men are employed the year round. This firm also has an extensive flour mill and a planning mill.
Caflisch Brothers have a large sawmill here, also one at Concord, a neighboring town. Their business is quite extensive. They have too a planning mill which besides doing a great amount of rough work does most of the finer work for the Union City Chair Company.
The mill owned by Kamerer & Sons has an extensive local business. The general line of work is the manufacture of lumber. The planning mill does most of the finer work and finishing, although some rough lumber is cut. The bottoms for the leather chair seats are made by them. This work of the Cheney Chair Company and the Keystone Chair Factory is mostly done by Mr. Loomis.
Then there is the broom factory of E.W. Hatch and Sons. About thirty dozen brooms per day are made. They consume about eighty tons of corn yearly, about one hundred thousand pounds of broom wire and six hundred pounds of twine. The average price per dozen at present is three dollars. The mode of business is by mail solicitation and commercial travel.
The furniture factory formerly owned by the firm of Blanchard & Hanson and now owned by Mr. Hanson alone, is doing a fine line of work.
We have two basket factories, one owned by Jones & Sons, who are employed in the manufacture of baskets and cheese boxes and the other by Bush & Seymour who are principally engaged in making baskets.
The buying and shipping of country produce forms quite a factor in the business of the city. A large amount of wheat, corn and other grains is brought in from the country.
About five hundred sacks of wheat flour are made daily at the Anchor Mills, besides which a considerable amount of other grain is consumed. About ten per cent of the flour made here finds a home in foreign markets. The mill of Clark & Company turns out several hundred sacks of flour daily.
The Caflisch mill uses corn and other grain, now wheat flour being manufactured here. Mr. Cook also has a feed mill and has worked up quite a large local business.
The Union City Creamery, the only establishment of the kind in the town, makes from five to six hundred pounds of butter per day and receives about 13,500 pounds of milk.
Something must be done with the surplus hay which the farmers have, therefore, we have men who make a business of buying up the hay. Mr. Mitchell is a wholesale dealer in hay, straw and other produce. The shipments of the concern reach nearly every eastern state. Mr. L.D. Shreve is also a dealer in hay and has a wide range of business.
Besides what we have mentioned, are the Iron Works. Mr. Warden is a builder of engines, brass and iron fittings and special machinery. Mr. Dunmyer is also engaged in the same business.
Time and space prevent more than a mere mention of these various industries, but their business is none the less diminished or their influence felt.