Latest Structures Page 144

Mouns Jones House Ruins, Douglassville Pennsylvania

Mouns Jones and his wife Ingaborg (or Ingabo) were the original owners of the house, which stands on the south end of a 500-acre tract they took up October 21, 1701, and which was patented to them May 15, 1705. Mouns Jones was a son of a Swedish immigrant Jonas Nilsson, whose children took the name Jones. Thus, the building is sometimes called Old Swede's House, Mouns is sometimes spelled Mounce. Before 1820 the building was used for some years as a tavern and known as Lamb's Inn. The building was later included in the extensive holdings of George Douglas, for whom Douglassville is named. Mouns Jones's father, Jonas Nilsson, was born in 1621 in Skoonings-harad, Skaraborge-lan, Sweden. He immigrated in

Elihu Kirby House, Henrietta New York

Elihu Kirby was born in the County of Columbia, New YorJs in the year 1801. He came to Henrietta at the ago of 19, and sometime after 1825 he purchased the store and business of Ben Baldwin which consisted of General Merchandising. In 1840 he erected his homestead and lived there until the year of his death, 1866. This information was given by Mr. John Calkins who was a nephew of Elihu Kirby, and who resided in the village of Henrietta. After the year 1866 the Homestead was purchased by Hex. B. Snoch who was identified with many improvements in the village. Alterations have been few, the porch floor having been lowered and square bases placed under the columns and the

Gray House, Connersville Indiana

As originally constructed the house probably consisted of only the main one-and-a-half story block. Raised upon a stone foundation, the walls are constructed of brick and laid in common bond with headers every ninth course. The five-bay front facade is articulated by six full-length brick pilasters, defining each bay; both four-bay side facades are articulated by five pilasters. Around the roof line is a wooden entablature which consists of a thin band of dentils and a wide frieze with rectangular openings covered with cast-iron grilles spaced at regular intervals around the front and two side facades. Most of the grilles conceal blind panels, but those near the rear on the side elevations cover attic windows. The central entrance is a recessed

Connersville Industrial Park, Connersville Indiana

The Connersville Industrial Park was organized in 1886 by John B. McFarland and his Connersville Land and Improvement Company. After gaining control of several small carriage companies, McFarland built a factory to house his new company on the property and then began to promote the land as an industrial park. His plan was to draw manufacturers of buggy and carriage equipment to the park, centralize supply and manufacture, and thereby benefit himself and others involved in the industry. Several features of the park insured its success. Canal and railroad, the principal means of transporting industrial goods in the 19^th century, formed the eastern boundary of the park. By providing water power and inexpensive transportation of bulk products, the Whitewater Canal attracted

Canal House, Connersville Indiana

Canal House was built in 1843 for the Whitewater Valley Canal Company as an office building while the Canal Company completed construction of Indiana's Whitewater Canal. It later served as a bank, veterinary hospital, and the private residence of one of Connersville's mayors. The structure was acquired by Historic Connersville, Inc. in 1971; this preservation group restored the structure for use as a museum. The Whitewater Canal Company purchased lot 53 in 1843 for $7000, which also included the large hotel, Huston House. In 1846, it sold the portion of lot 53 upon which the hotel stood for $6495, only $505 less than the sum at which the company bought the entire lot three years before. The Canal Company sold the

Central Manufacturing Company, Connersville Indiana

The Central Manufacturing Company, organized on 7 April 1898 was an important component in the automobile manufacturing industries created by Edward W. Ansted. The company, which initially manufactured woodwork for buggies and carriages, moved with other Ansted-owned companies which were shifting from buggy and carriage production to automobile-oriented production. The company began manufacturing automobile bodies in 1903. Except for a single attempt to produce automobiles in 1905, the Central Manufacturing Company concentrated primarily on the production of automobile bodies. Between 1903 and 1907 they manufactured wooden bodies, and after 1907 they concentrated on metal auto body production. Between 1917 and 1925, the company produced automobile bodies for many of Indiana's auto manufacturers. The first factory, located at 123 West 7^th Street,

Connersville Blower Company, Connersville Indiana

The Connersville Blower Company, organized in 1893, was created in order to compete with the P.H. and F.M. Roots Company, another Connersville firm that was world famous for its rotary action fans and blowers. The first president of the Connersville Blower Company was John S. McFarland, a local entrepreneur and promoter, who helped organize the Connersville Natural Gas Company and the Connersville Industrial Park in addition to his own McFarland Buggy Company On 31 August 1929 the Stacy Syndicate acquired both the Connersville Blower Company and the Roots Blower Company; on 24 January 1934 they merged into the Roots-Connersville Blower Company. Roots-Connersville was acquired by Dresser Industries on 1 July 1944

Roots Blower Company, Connersville Indiana

The brothers Francis Marion and Philander H. Roots were the sons of Alanson Roots. In 1846 Alanson Roots acquired rights to water power on the Whitewater Canal in Connersville and moved there from Oxford, Ohio. He set up a woolen mill in the city on the canal between 6^th and 7^th Streets A good deal of information is known about P.M. Roots because his son-in-law, Edwin F. Schively, wrote his biography in 1893. The Roots brothers apparently discovered the principle of their blower in 1859. The old over-shot water wheel at their woolen factory required attention and they experimented with new types of wheels. One device consisted of two lobed wood wheels which revolved in opposite directions when the water was

Ansted-Higgins Spring Company, Connersville Indiana

The Ansted-Higgins Spring Company, established in Connersville, Indiana in 1891, was the cornerstone of the automobile empire created by Edward W. Ansted. The factory, like many of the original companies located in the Connersville Industrial Park, began producing parts for buggies and carriages, but with the advent of the automobile several factories in the industrial park, including the Spring Company, attempted to meet the demands of the new market. Edward Ansted proved to be a successful automobile manufacturer: in addition to the Spring Company, he organized 5 subsidiary companies to supply various products to his Lexington Motor Company, and it was not until 1924 that the Spring Company factory was sold. Edward Willard Ansted, the son of a village blacksmith, was

Anderson Carriage Manufacturing Company, Anderson Indiana

The Anderson Carriage Manufacturing Company, located at the northwest corner of 25^th and Walton Streets in South Anderson, established itself as a manufacturer of buggies and carriages well before its founder, George B. Wheelock, turned his attention to the manufacture of horseless carriages. Wheelock worked as a carriage salesman before he opened his own company, and in time he became a respected and influential member of Anderson's business community. However, when he began the manufacture of automobiles, he entered uncharted territory and a fiercely competitive market. Within two years he lost control of his company, which was placed in receivership. Wheelock came to Anderson at the age of 18 after spending some time in Union City as a salesman for the

Munks and Roberts Furniture - Rex Manufacturing, Connersville Indiana

In 1869 Herman Munk and William Newkirk formed a partnership and began manufacturing furniture under the name of the Valley Furniture Company. Five years later, in 1874, the name of the firm was changed to the Munk and Roberts Furniture Company after Newkirk sold his interest in the business to James E. Roberts. The Munk and Roberts Furniture Company erected a four-story building at Western and 15^th Streets in 1873, and in 1833 another building, a five-story brick structure, was completed south of the original structure. Apparently the factory was built on the site to make use of water power from the Whitewater Canal, as did the Connersville Furniture Company situated approximately 375 feet away on the east side of the

Connersville Furniture Factory, Connersville Indiana

The site of the Connersvilie Furniture factory was initially occupied by a coffin factory. The coffin company, organized in 1869, expanded as a joint stock company in 1875 and built a five story 40' x 80' brick factory building on Illinois near Mount Street. The factory building and several thousand coffins were destroyed when fire engulfed the building in 1879. The coffin company was unable to rebuild, and three years later, in February 1882, the Connersvilie Furniture Company was organized and bought the property. In 1882, the Connersvilie Furniture Company built a six-story 50' x 150' brick building on the banks of the Whitewater Canal, the site formerly occupied by the coffin factory. The choice of the site is significant, since

McFarlan Motor Car Company - (McFarlan Carriage), Connersville Indiana

John B. McFarland, later one of Connersville's prominent entrepreneurs and manufacturers, organized the McFarlan Carriage Company in 1857 soon after his arrival in Connersville. The carriage works prospered and in 1909, after John McFarlan's death, his grandson Harry McFarlan assumed control of the firm and successfully guided it during the transition from buggy manufacturing to custom automobile production. In several respects the success of John McFarlan as businessman and entrepreneur laid the foundation for Connersville's automobile industry: the carriage company that he founded successfully made the transition from buggy to automobile manufacturing, and the industrial park that he developed as a scheme to insure the growth of his own company later became a successful industrial center which survived well into the

Rider-Lewis - Nyberg Automobile, Anderson Indiana

Anderson, along with many other cities in east-central Indiana, enjoyed a period of rapid and dramatic growth following the discovery of huge fields of natural gas in the last decades of the nineteenth century. With the depletion of inexpensive fuel supplies at the beginning of the twentieth century, the economy of the region declined. The Commercial Club of Anderson, organized in 1905, met the crisis by attracting new industry to the city. The Rider-Lewis Motor Company was one of the last firms brought to Anderson by the Commercial Club. Rider-Lewis shared several characteristics with the DeTamble Motors Company, the first firm brought to Anderson by the Commercial Club. Both companies manufactured automobiles, both went bankrupt, and both used single-story design in

DeTamble Motors (Speed Changing Pulley), Anderson Indiana

Anderson, along with many other cities in east-central Indiana, enjoyed a period of rapid and dramatic growth following the discovery of huge fields of natural gas in the last decades of the nineteenth century. With the depletion of inexpensive fuel supplies at the beginning of the twentieth century, the economy of the region declined. The Commercial Club of Anderson, organized in 1905, met the crisis by attracting new industry to the city. In 1908, the Club adopted the Watkins Lot Plan; its effect was to give a cash bonus to industry that located in Anderson. The Speed Changing Pulley Company, Later the DeTamble Motors Companys was the first company attracted to Anderson under the bonus scheme. DeTamble Motors shared several characteristics

Lexington Motor - Auburn Automobile Company, Indiana

The Lexington Motor Company, first housed in a barn in Lexington, Kentucky, was established in 1909 by Kinsey Stone, a local promoter and horse racer. In 1910, following a discussion with a group of Connersville businessmen, he moved his company to more suitable quarters at 18^th and Columbia Streets in the Connersville Industrial Park. With the help of his chief engineer, John C. Moore, Stone developed the Lexington automobile. The company was plagued by financial problems and in 1913 E.W. Ansted acquired the Lexington Motor Company. The Lexington auto formed the backbone of Ansted's automobile empire. The car went through several model changes between 1910 and 1927, and many of its major components--frame, top woodwork, body and engine-- were manufactured in

Duesenberg Automobile Company, Indianapolis Indiana

The production of the Duesenberg passenger automobiles Models A and J, between 1921 and 1936 in Indianapolis, corresponded to similar automobile and associated parts manufacturing in this city. Other companies such as Stutz, Cole, Harmon and Lafayette produced a variety of passenger automobiles. Between 1900 and 1940, 110 different cars and trucks, prototypes and full production models were manufactured in Indianapolis. Presto-Lite, Allison, Diamond Chain and Wheeler-Schebler were the suppliers of head lamps and batteries, engines, drives and carburetors. The relocation of the Duesenberg brothers, Fred S. (1876-1932), the designer and August S. (1879-1955), the chief engineer signaled the arrival in Indianapolis of one of the most experienced engineering and design teams. The Duesenberg family had emigrated from Lippe, Germany to

Rocky River Bridge, Rocky River Ohio

Walnut Lane Concrete Arch Bridge, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

When completed in 1908, the Walnut Lane Bridge was the world's longest concrete arch bridge, with a main span measuring 233'-0. The Rocky River Bridge in Ohio exceeded it in size two years later. Taking inspiration from a 1904 masonry arch bridge in Luxembourg, Webster and Quimby's two-rib, open-spandrel design uses a minimum of reinforcing steel. The bridge crosses Wissahickon Creek in Fairmount Park. At the turn ofthe twentieth century, Fairmount Park was the world's largest urban park. From five acres surrounding the Fairmount Water Works in 1812, the park was expanded to more than 4,000 acres, including land formerly occupied by some of the city's wealthiest residents. The park also contains fourteen miles of tributaries and the Schuylkill itself, which