Valley Girl Views: Watsontown Table Works

Located across from the railroad station in Watsontown - today the area of the gas station/Memorial Park

NOTE - on the 1912 Sanborn Fire map there are TWO table works. The Watsontown Table Works, and the Watsontown Table and Furniture Works. Two separate locations. It will take more time to sort the two businesses out completely. It appears that the Watsontown Table and Furniture company kept the same name from the time it split from Pardees Works. The Table Works, at the south end of town, went through more name changes, ending up as Watsontown Wood Products Co.

1878 - "Commenced in the commenced business in the car shops building in 1878 being started by Jos Hollopeter and Jas. W. McLain" [Watsontown Table and Furniture, north end of town]
1882 - Became Watsontown Table & Furniture Works [Watsontown Table and Furniture, north end of town]
LATER - "Later the plant passed into the hands of J. G. Bower and F. H. Miller, who built the preset building and operated the works successfully for a number of years, when it passed into the hands of a stock company known as the the West Branch Table Works." [South End of Town - Table Works]
1891 - Watsontown Table Works to move to Hagerstown Maryland
1897 - Operated by George Breon, named Breon Table Works
1906 - Operated by John Barr, Barr Table Company [South End of Town - Table Works]
1907 - Watsontown Table and Furniture Company [South End of Town - Table Works]
1912 - Watsontown Table and Furniture Works located at the
North End of Town, West Branch Furniture Company located at South End Of Town
1924 - Fire at Watsontown Wood Products [South End of Town - Table Works]
1930 - Fire At Table Company [North End of Town, Furniture & Table Works]
1936 - Sold at Sheriff's Sale - Purchased by Philco
1940 - Acquired by the Watsontown Realty Company, and the Watsontown Cabinet Company

1882 - Became Watsontown Table & Furniture Works

John G. Bower and Francis Miller formed a partnership in 1882, purchasing the Watsontown Table & Furniture Company from Ario Pardee. During this time, they created a laundry stain remover called "electric fluid", which they patented in 1890. Prior to World War II, soap was used to wash laundry, and early homekeeping books devoted pages to stain removal, with such tips as making cakes of chalk to absorb grease, using butter, and other items such as lemon juice and salt. Laundry detergent was not widely used until world war II.

See more about the cleaning fluid here

On the 1883 Fowler Map of Watsontown:

#17 The Watsontown Furniture & Table Factory

See more of that map here

In 1884, J.Gosh Bower of Watsontown was severely crushed in a fall of an elevator at the Watsontown Furniture and Table Works.

Breon Table Works

"The table industry which has become such an important factor of our community was launched by the father of our industries, Joseph Hollopeter, who associating with him Charles and James McLain, first made tables in the car shops. This subsequently became the Bower and Miller plant which, after numerous vicissitudes, is the present West Branch Table Company, on Main Street, opposite the Pennsylvania Station. From this plant spring the nucleus of the Watsontown Table and Furniture Company, organized in 1893 by G.W. Rombach, T.G. Caldwell, William Follmer, Chalres B. McLain, and others under the efficient management of Howard W. Rombach, pays larger dividends than any industrial enterprise in Central Pennsylvania." - From Watsontown Historically, by Fred Knight

This early sketch showing the Table Factory shows the area to the left where the park is today.

Today, Watson Mart stands where the Table Factory was once located.

The 1887 Sanborn Fire Map, showing the table works pictured above

and the Watsontown Novelty Works and Watsontown Nail Works

1891 Northumberland Democrat reported that the Watsontown Table Works was moving to Hagerstown.

Neither the 1907 Record And Star, nor Fred Knights article on the history of early Watsontown, mention this move..

Aug 1897 - "Wiliam Smith, who is connected with the Watsontown Table Works, spent Mondya with his parents on Walnut Street" - Sunbury Daily Item

On the left is the Watsontown Table Works. Today, that is where the Watson Mart stands. The railroad stations are on the right.

From the block by block tour of Main Street Watsontown:

Along the river to our left will be the Watsontown Nail Works, the Watsontown Novelty Works, and the Watsontown Table Works (Today Memorial Park)

Beside the entrance to the park will be the Paulhamus Gas station (Watson Mart Today)

Across the street will be the Watsontown Train Station.

Barr Table Company

THE WATSONTOWN TABLE WORKs commenced business in the car shops building in 1878 being started by Jos Hollopeter and Jas. W. McLain. Samuel Miller, George Burns and Isaac Stryker were afterwards added to the firm. Subsequently Ario Pardee became proprietor of the works, which were removed to his lower planing mill. Later the plant passed into the hands of J. G. Bower and F. H. Miller, who built the preset building and operated the works successfully for a number of years, when it passed into the hands of a stock company known as the the West Branch Table Works.

In 1897 Mr. George B. Breon acquired possession of the plant and the firm name was then changed to the Breon Table Company.

June 15, 1906, the plant was purchased by the Barr Table Company, and Mr. J. W. Barr, who for four years had charge of the business for Mr. Breon, assumed the entire management and control. Under Mr Barr's management the plant has been greatly improved by the installation of new, up-to-date machinery and appliances, including complete collector system.

With an established reputation for superior work the new firm has introduced more progressive methods, not only adding to the quantity but quality of the product. The business has increased twenty-five per cent under the management or Mr. Barr, the out-put reaching an annual average of $125,000. Sixty-five hands are employed and the factory is continuously operated to its full capacity.

THE BARR TABLE COMPANY is recognized as a leader in the industry, manufacturing a larger number of the higher grades of tables than any factory in this part of the state. A greater portion of the tables produced are of the finest quartered oak, the designs being mainly originated by Mr. Barr, who is an expert designer and architect, and thoroughly familiar with every detail of the business and with the wants of the trade.

The adjoining illustration shows one of the new designs for 1907. Catalogue of other designs may be had for the asking.

As depicted in their 1907 catalog

(I've noticed that catalog drawings in this time frame are often... "Generous" in their portrayal of local factories. The photos rarely show the buildings to be nearly as large as the drawings)

view the 1907 catalog here:

https://archive.org/details/catalog1907wats/mode/1up

The Locations in 1912:

Watsontown Table and Furniture Works

North End of Town - 8th and Matthew st Location

West Branch Furniture Company

South End Of Town, Across from Train Station

1917-1918 Catalog

In 1921, the Sanborn map shows Watsontown Table & Furniture at the north end of town, and Wood Products company at the south end of town.

1924 - Building (Wood Products Co - South end of town) Destroyed in a fire

August 1 1924 - Mt Carmel Item

Note that in the 1919 Industrial Directory of Pennsylvania, under Watsontown is listed the Watsontown Table Works, and separately, the Watsontown Wood Products Co.