Davis & Furber Machine Company General Records

Davis & Furber Machine Co. Manufacturers of Woolen Machinery, North Andover, MA. Company began in 1832 as Sawyer, Phelps & Co. in Andover, MA, moved to North Andover in 1836 and manufactured machinery there until 1982. Various partnerships preceded the formation of Davis & Furber: Sawyer, Phelps & Co., 1832-1834; Barnes, Gilbert & Co., 1834-1835; Gilbert & Richardson, 1835-1838; Barnes, Gilbert & Richardson, 1838-1841; Gilbert, Gleason & Davis, 1841-1846; Gleason & Davis, 1846-1848; and Gleason, Davis & Furber, 1848-1851.

Characterized in its early years by job work done under contract in its machine shop, D & F formalized most production activities under corporate control by 1875. They built their own foundry in 1863. The Civil War brought many orders, stimulated by demand for blankets and uniform cloth. From a small intermittent work force of about 30 in 1832, D & F expanded to 350 employees by 1865.

Although D & F made a complete line of wool machinery including looms, by 1880 they had come to specialize in preparatory, carding, spinning, and warping equipment. The firm’s three partners each had his specialty as well: George L. Davis (1816-1891) in administration and finance; John A. Wiley (1825-1905) in sales; and Joseph M. Stone (1820-1887) in mechanics and design. Samuel F. Rockwell (1878-1969) joined the firm in the 1890s and served as Treasurer from 1920 until 1964. His interest in the past history of the company led to the creation of many series of files and to the retention of many records.

As a result of the company’s considerable success the plant expanded to ten major buildings, including foundry addition 1917 and mule-erecting building 1920. By 1930 D & F employed nearly 1,000 people. It was capitalized at over $2,000,000. Its fortunes waned with those of its customers, the nations’ woolen mills, but it adapted its product line to synthetics and the foreign market after WWII when it added a Charlotte, NC branch. In 1968 the Bramwell feeders of George S. Harwood & Sons of Worcester were incorporated into D & F.

Card clothing was added to the product line in 1864 in a new wooden shop built for the purpose. A large brick building was constructed in 1887 for the increased card clothing operation, one of the largest branches of the plant. In 1890, several manufacturers of card clothing merged in a combination known as the American Card Clothing Co. D & F joined this trust and leased their card clothing department to the organization until 1904, when it was disbanded. American Card Clothing Co. reorganized in Worcester, and D & F continued the manufacture of card clothing independently.

After a long period of decline in the 1960s and 1970s and the closing of many of the mills in New England,, Davis & Fuber shut down operations in 1981. It had been the last supplier of carding equipment in the United States.