David Silverman Records

Commercial felt making in the United States began in the 1820s, when J.R. Williams invented a mechanical process for producing felt. A few years later, in 1825, the Bacon Felt Company was founded in Winchester, MA. By the turn of the century, there were 12 felt manufacturers in the United States.

The company most closely tied to this collection, National Felt, had its origins in the National Felting Company, which William Taylor founded in Holyoke, MA. The company made its first appearance in the 1904-1905 edition of Davison's Blue Book, in which it was listed as operating 5 cards for the manufacturer of all kinds of felt. The 1906-1907 Davison's reflects a reorganization and relocation: at this time, the National Felt Company began its long association with Easthampton, MA.

The records from this collection begin near the time Israel Goldberg purchased National Felt from William Lovering, which Davison's suggests was around 1944. Goldberg had been associated with the company before buying it; he was listed as Treasurer and Buyer in 1936. The Goldberg family maintained ownership of National Felt and Commonwealth Felt until 1988.

Commonwealth Felt acted as the distributor for National Felt and was maintained as a separate company. As a distributor rather than manufacturer, Commonwealth Felt did not have its own entry in Davison's, but from 1945 the company was listed as the selling agent for National Felt.

In terms of products, National Felt and Commonwealth Felt together offered a wide variety of products to serve diverse niche interests, including: automotive; education; military; computer technology; and children's toys. In 1995, the company changed its name to National Nonwovens in order to emphasize that its specialty had expanded beyond wool felt to include a diverse array of nonwovens.