The Watsontown Door & Sash Company - The Company That Burnt To The Ground Five Times

This 1899 fire was the 3rd  to burn down this Watsontown Mill.  Before the Watsontown Door & Sash Company closed in the 1930's, it would burn to the ground a total of five times.    Five.  In 1904 the fire was started by an ember from the train, the company sued the railroad over that in 1906, and won.  In 1922 "the road between the two towns was lined with autoists in a mad rush to to the scene, with little or no concern given the fire department."  In addition to rebuilding after 5 separate fires, the Watsontown Door and Sash Company is the originator of the electrical arrangement the town has today, and it was the closing of the mill in 1934 that made John Wilson unemployed - which eventually lead to the Wilson Walkies.  

1866 - Company organized as the Wagner, Bly & Co.  Located on "the present site of Hope Hose Hall"

1868 - Name changed to Wagner, Hogue, and Co

1869 - First Fire.  After the fire, company reorganized as Wagner, Starr & Co.  It was rebuilt on 3rd St.  ("on the ground now occupied by the McClure houses" in 1925)

1875 - Second Fire. Mill totally destroyed by fire.  

1876 - Firm changed to the Watsontown Planing Mill Company.  Rebuilt on the site of what is today, Moran Industries.

1899 - Third Fire. Mill burnt to the ground again.  Changed to the Watsontown Door & Sash Company.

1904 - Fourth Fire. Mill burned yet again.  Rebuilt once again.  "The plant is located on a tract of ten acres on the east side of the Pennsylvania Railroad, between fifth and seventh streets.  The main building faces the east, two wings from each and running west, the square or court thus formed being occupied by dry houses.

1922 - Fifth Fire. 

The Watsontown Door & Sash Company, 1866 - abt. 1934

 

The 1899 Fire

The New 1904 Plant

In 1904 an ember from a passing train started the fire that burnt down the mill.  In 1906 Watsontown Door and Sash sued the railroad for $80,000 in damages.  They won the suit, but were awarded less than half that amount.

Located between 5th & 7th Streets, "East Of The Railroad"
(Where Moran Industries is located in 2020)

1913 Calendar for the Watsontown Door & Sash Company

The 1922 Fire

March 26th, 1922

The Miltonian reported that so many people rushed to the scene of the fire that cars were in the way of the firemen trying to get to the scene.  "the road between the two towns was lined with autoists in a mad rush to to the scene, with little or no concern given the fire department."

"The office building is of concrete, and of three stories, like the

others. The other building are of brick, with stone foundations, while the roofs are of fire proof material. The power is furnished by a 288 horse power Corliss engine, and the entire equipment of machinery is of the very best and latest pattern."

The president of the company in 1925 was Mr. J. H. Wagner, "one of the oldest planing mill men in the country ,having been the head of the business continually since 1866.  He is ably assisted by his brother D.F and his son J.H. Jr"

In 1925, the Watsontown Door & Sash Company employed 90-100 men, and operated every day of the year.  6,000,000 feet of lumber was handled annually, and they annually produced 58,000 window sash, 38,000 frames, 25,000 doors, 24,000 blinds, in addition to "boxes, shingles, building timer, general mill work, etc"

The Watsontown Door & Sash Employees
May 1916

Watsontown Door & Sash Workers:

Row 1:David Keim, Truman Wertman, H.P. Smith, Roland Graig, Isaac Robbins, Woodrow Whitmoyer, Earl Tyson, Guy Koons, Harold Weidenhamer, Harold Reifsnider, Charles N. Stahl, Clyde Confer

Row 2: Manley P. Plymette, Curtis Wagner, Robert Johnson, Jeff Confer, Jack Allabach, Gus Kramer, ?, Maynard Huhn, Ellis Lindauer, Philip Shook, John Springer, Shell Johnson, T.P. Hayes

Row 3: John Zetters, Wilson Strout, John Berger, James C. Young, Drew Weaver, Thomas Gauger, Edgar Foust, Joe Ranck, George Ranck, John Saxton

Row 4:Clifford Kimble, Dewey Koons, Edward Messinger, ? Ranck, Sherman Reinbold, ?, Ray Miller, Gerry Crawford

Row 5: Harry Bennage, Elwood Kimble, ? Narehood, ?, Albert Leech, Penrose Bair

Row 6: Ted Plymette, Ed Waltman, Dan Williamson, Ed Waterworth, George Kilmore, Fred Sprole, Carroll Dietrich

Watsontown Door & Sash Employees

Year Unknown (After 1922, before 1934)

1929   - Watsontown's Unique Electrical Agreement Begins

In 1929, PP&L purchased the Watsontown Door & Sash Company's contract to furnish electricity to Watsontown.    "Under an agreement which has been in effect for some time, electric current is manufactured by the Watsontown Door & Sash Company plant as a by-product, and is disposed of to the borough which retails it to supply industrial and domestic needs.  The contract has about 20 years to run."

Under the new arrangement in 1929, the Door & Sash Company would continue to manufacture electrical current, but they would sell it to PP&L, who would in turn sell it to the borough.

1932 - The Company Goes Into Receivership - 

Wilson Walkies Are Born

One of the men who was put out of a job when the Watsontown Door & Sash Company went out of business was John Wilson. Finding himself unemployed, he built miniature houses, and toys.  His Wilson Walkies are collectible around the world today.

" In 1935, Curtis Wagner the owner of the Door and Sash company, and his lawyer, Harry Chamberlain, were killed in a car accident, and the already struggling company closed permanently"

1937 - Property is Purchased by Philco

Philco, which became the Philco Ford Corporation, began its manufacturing of cabinets in Watsontown on the former Table And Furniture plant on 8th street.  A year later, in 1937, they purchased the former Watsontown Door & Sash  property, and there began cabinet manufacturing in November of 1937.

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1927

No. 674. January 27, 1933.

Knight Kivko, of Sunbury, Pa., for petitioners.

Frederick V. Follmer and Harry W. Chamberlin, both of Milton, Pa., and John G. Reading, of Williamsport, Pa., for respondent.

JOHNSON, District Judge.

On June 24, 1930, upon application of the complainant, this court appointed receivers in equity of the Watsontown Door Sash Company. Pursuant to an order of this court, the receivers operated the plant for about two years, but, owing to the abnormal industrial conditions, they were unable to continue the operation because of a lack of working capital. On September 21, 1932, the receivers petitioned this court for leave to sell the assets of the company freed and divested from the lien of the mortgage in favor of the Lycoming Trust Company, substituted trustee, for the bondholders, and free and clear of all other liens and incumbrances.

After hearing and argument on the petition of the receivers and answers filed thereto by the trustee under the mortgage and creditors, the court, on December 28, 1932, being of the opinion that a sale free and divested of the lien of the mortgage could not be legally made, entered a decree directing the receivers to sell the property in question at public sale on January 28, 1933, under and subject to the lien of the mortgage.

On January 16, 1933, the Kendall Lumber Company and the W.R. Willett Lumber Company, Inc., creditors of the receivership, filed a petition to vacate the decree of sale on the ground that the decree entered December 28, 1932, was not in conformity with the prayer of the petition of the receivers, in that the petition prayed for a sale of the assets free and clear of incumbrances while the decree ordered a sale under and subject to the mortgage.

There is no merit in the petitioners' contention. Under the broad equity powers of the court, it can, under proper circumstances, order a sale of property free and divested of liens by transferring the liens to the fund derived from the sale; but, where there is no reasonable prospect that a surplus will be left for general creditors, a court of equity will not exercise this power. Seaboard National Bank v. Rogers Milk Products Co. (C.C.A.) 21 F.2d 414. In the present case the property will not bring an amount sufficient to pay the mortgage.

All creditors and parties in interest had notice of the presentation of the petition of the receivers to sell the assets, and an opportunity to file objection and to be heard thereon. The court, in its sound judicial discretion, could have withheld the making of an order of sale or it could have made any order of sale for the best interests of the estate. Stokes v. Williams (C.C.A.) 226 F. 148. The power of the court having control of a receivership to order a sale of the assets thereof by a receiver carries with it the power to prescribe and control the terms and conditions of such sales, and, except as restricted by statute, the court has a wide discretion in so doing. 53 Corpus Juris, 208.

At the hearing on the petition for leave to sell the assets, the court was of the opinion that it could not order a sale of the property free and clear of the mortgage, and therefore, in the proper exercise of its discretion, after a full hearing, the court ordered a sale under and subject to the mortgage, The mere fact that the receivers specified in their petition certain terms and conditions under which the property was to be sold does not take away from the court the power to prescribe other terms and conditions which after hearing are deemed by the court to be for the best interests of the estate. 

The petition of the Kendall Lumber Company and the W.R. Willett Lumber Company, Inc., to vacate the order of sale heretofore entered is therefore dismissed, and the rule granted thereon is discharged.