Material Extracted from the History of Defiance County 1883

Turnbull Wagon Company

1876 - D. B. Turnbull and sons, F. A. and David H.

Began as a manufacturer of wagon wheels.  In about 1879 began manufacturing wagons and buggies.  Employs 400-500 men.   Manufactures about 2000 wheels and 15 wagons daily.

Planing Mills

1862 – Hamilton Davis & Son.  Sold in 1872 to Charles C. Strong and Samuel Cheney.  Planing business included sash, doors, blinds, etc.

In operation in 1883 - Karst & Tenzer begun by Peter Kuntz in 1872 and Kuhn & Ulrich who also manufactured tobacco boxes.

Hoop and Stave Factories

Defiance Hoop and Stave Company - John Marshall, John S. Greenlee and Louis Marshall began in June 1882 on the banks of the Maumee in the northeast part of Defiance.  Employed 78 men and produced 18,00 coiled elm hoops for kegs and half barrels and 25, 000 staves daily.  Markets in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and St. Louis.

D. F. Holston located at the junction of Wabash and the B & O Railway.  At full capacity 32,000 coiled barrel and keg hoops.  Forty men were employed , and they used 10,000 feet of elm daily. Began in 1879.

Crow & Hooker and Trowbridge (began in 1882) & Eddy each engaged in the manufacture of staves.  Each employed about 25 men and turned out 25, 000 staves daily.

Hubs, Spokes, Forks, Wagons, etc.

Defiance Manufacturing Company, Inc. with William C. Holgate as president and E. P. Hooker secretary. Hubs and spokes.

Haller & Gibson – wooden forks and other farm implements.  John Marshall and Peter Dickman also produce farrn implements.

American Wood Preserving Company – extensive works in several cities.  Hardening of elm railroad ties by treating to a prepared solution.

Furniture

William Huffman and C. Geiger began in 1850 on Perry Street.  Employed 15 men.  Furniture produced for local consumption as well as foreign markets.

Defiance Machine Works

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