Scope and Contents
Contains copy of records of incorporation and minutes of stockholders' meetings, 1859-1884; minutes of directors' meetings, 1877-1903; ledger listing cash and credit information, 1859- 1867, with ledger that indexes this volume; and record of dividends paid, 1882-1912. Also contains correspondence concerning dividends, 1905-1906; and notes on company history, n.d., 1954.
Dates
- 1859-1954
Language of Materials
Collection material in English
Conditions Governing Access
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.
Biographical / Historical
Gonic Manufacturing was founded in 1859 by Nicholas Varney Whitehouse, after his previous business venture in Gonic, N.H., had failed. During the Civil War the high demand for wool uniforms and blankets by the Union Army meant that business was good for the company, which used some of their profits to improve the mill's water power and add steam engines. In 1861 a large addition was added to the west end of the mill.
The 1870s saw a drop in the demand for wool, and a warehouse fire destroy much of Gonic's finished material. After Whitehouse's retirement in 1877 and a weavers' strike the mill closed in 1878. After economic conditions improved the mill reopened in 1880.
By the 1890s a residence for the mill agent and 30 tenements for workers were included in the company's holdings. Although the mill stayed in operation through the Depression, it had to sell many of its tenements in 1935.
World War II saw Gonic Manufacturing fulfilling U.S. Navy orders for blankets and other material, earning it the a "Navy E" award.
During the 1940s and 1950s demand was such that the mill was expanded and improved. The 1960s, however, saw a decline in demand, due in part to the increased use of synthetic fibers.
Gonic Manufacturing Compnay ceased operations and closed in 1971.
Extent
0.25 cubic feet
Abstract
Includes records of incorporation & minutes of stockholders' meetings, 1859-1884; minutes of Directors' meetings, 1877-1903; ledger, indexed, with cash and credit information, 1859-1867; records of dividends paid, 1882-1912; correspondence about dividends, 1905-1906, & notes on company history, n.d., 1954.
Custodial History
American Textile History Museum Collection.
Quantity:
0.2 linear ft.
Forms of Material:
Correspondence, minutes (administrative records) .
General
- Contact Information:
- Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives Martin P. Catherwood Library 227 Ives Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-3183 kheel_center@cornell.edu http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/kheel-center
- Compiled by:
- M. Clark, September 06, 2019
- EAD encoding:
- Marcie Farwell, October 09, 2019
- Title
- Gonic Manufacturing Records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Compiled by M. Clark
- Date
- October 09, 2019
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Revision Statements
- 02/23/2024: This resource was modified by the ArchivesSpace Preprocessor developed by the Harvard Library (https://github.com/harvard-library/archivesspace-preprocessor)
Repository Details
Part of the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives Repository
227 Ives Hall
Ithaca NY 14853