[SEL] Surviving Factories

Ted Brookover ignitors at sbcglobal.net
Fri Oct 29 14:21:13 PDT 2004


The former "Witte" factory building is still standing here in Kansas City,
although the foundry was torn down many years ago.

Interestingly, the Witte building is a rather shabby little wood frame
structure, not even close to the grand Brick and Mortar edifice that is
represented in and on the cover of several of the original Witte Catalogs.

Of course Witte, along with many if not most of the engine sellers of the
day, played fast and loose with the facts when trying to make their company
appear to be of long standing and solid stature.

Many of them would claim to have been in the engine business for periods of
time that at the would have had them building engines long before engines
came into regular use.

A lot of "Vender", or mail order operations, would buy out a failed engine
manufacturer,  then use the history of that failed company to mask the fact
that they them selves were not actually building engines, but selling
someone else's product under license.

A little slippery, but it sure looked "Grand" in the catalog.
Ted Brookover
4801 E. Red Bridge Rd.
Kansas City, Missouri, 64137
816-763-3142
ignitors at sbcglobal.net , Home Page, 
http://www.oldengine.org/members/brookover/
Ignitor ID Page, http://www.oldengine.org/members/brookover/ign-id.htm

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Curt" <curt at imc-group.com>
To: "The SEL email discussion list" <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 10:22 AM
Subject: Re: [SEL] Surviving Factories


> Patrick M Livingstone wrote:
>
>>After seeing what remains of the original Ronaldson-Tippett factory last
>>weekend I am curious as to which other engine manufacturers factories are
>>still standing. I know that part of the Rosebery factory here in Sydney is
>>still there as is the Fuller & Johnson factory in Madison and the Root & 
>>Van
>>Dervoort factory in East Moline. Who else has survived?
>>
>>
>>
> Patrick,
> Nice thread idea!
>
> I have seen:
> The Hercules factory in Evansville, IN
> The Emerson Brantingham offices in Waynesoboro, PA (now an apartment 
> building)
> The Geiser works next door in Waynesboro, PA
> The Frick Factory nearby. (still in business)
> The Landis factory nearby. (still in business)
> The remains of Abenaque works in Westminster Station, VT
>
> Curt Holland
> Gastonia, NC
>
>
>
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> 





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