When did Gorham purchase its property on Adelaide Avenue? What other nearby

Transcription

1 Raina Fox Research Assignment #1 Oral History and Community Memory March 12, 2013 When did Gorham purchase its property on Adelaide Avenue? What other nearby property was owned by the company and how was it used? This paper will look specifically at the Gorham Manufacturing Company s acquisition of its Elmwood property at the end of the 1880 s, and explore some of the ways the company used that land and its surroundings during the Plant s early years. Through this analysis, we can better understand the implications of Gorham s Elmwood property for the company and its neighbors at the time, while gaining context for the complex interactions between industrial development, environmental issues, and community memory that continue to affect the neighborhood today. Over the course of Gorham Manufacturing Company s nearly two hundred year history, the silver manufacturers grew from a small business that specialized in spoons to an internationally renowned company. Opened by Jabez Gorham in 1831, the factory was originally located in a small house at No. 12 Steeple Street. By the late 1880 s, however, Gorham realized it could not continue to grow as a company on the original premises 1. The new Plant was to be by far the largest operation in the world for making fine silverwares 2, and would also include facilities for making silver flatware, hollow ware, electroplated wares, and bronze. 3 1 In 1878 sales were at a low of $521,000 but by 1890 they had grow to almost three million dollars. The company knew it needed to expand its facilities in order to keep up with demand. (Carpenter, 1982, p 138) 2 Carpenter, p p

2 Gorham selected a plot of land in the Elmwood neighborhood that had been owned by Charles E. Carpenter, a personal friend of the company s then president, William Crins 4. Providence s 1882 edition of the city Atlas (Figure 1) indicates that Carpenter probably did not actively use this part of his property. In addition to requiring no demolition of buildings, the site was considered an ideal location because of its proximity to the city, easy access to roads and trains, 5 and adjacency to Mashapaug Pond (also visible in Figure 1). Charles E. Carpenter and his wife Ademine F. Carpenter officially sold the land near to and southeasterly from Mashapaug Pond 6 in 1887 and 1888, as indicated in a series of deeds, to Gorham Manufacturing Company its successors and assigns forever. 7 In addition, Gorham purchased parcels of land more or less to the southwesterly line of [the] New York Providence and Boston Railroad Company s land 8 from the Russell and Anthony families. Dwight Russell s wife Mary, a widow, had inherited the land from her deceased husband Harris Carpenter, explaining their ownership of the property, while the Anthony family s connection remains unclear. The full list of grantors can be found in the Deed index in Figure 4. Despite beginning to purchase property in 1887, Gorham did not officially approve their plans for the land until In his diary from May 19, 1888, Crins recounts the decision: Board Meeting in the forenoon and after a full discussion on the plans for a new building. Plan #14 was adopted. It was voted to put them in train for construction and empowering me to make contracts which means much hard work for me. 9 4 p Carpenter, 1982, p Providence City Archives, record of deeds. Figure 2. 7 Providence City Archives. 8 Providence City Archives, Figure 3. 9 Carpenter, 1982, p

3 Crins anxiety over the work involved in building the factory was warranted- in addition to continuing to oversee the original Steeple Street location 10 he oversaw the building of one of the most elaborate silver Plants of its time. The plan for the Gorham site was ambitious, and considered the most modern and efficient in the world for the making of silverwares and bronzes. 11 Completed in 1890, the factory buildings occupied six acres of land, and were fully integrated to allow for every stage of the silversmithing process to take place on site from sterling-alloy melting facilities to production of the wood cases used to package the silverwares. The details of the factory s work in its early years, including images, are explained in detail in the company s 1892 publication Views, Exterior and Interior of the works of the Gorham Manufacturing Company Silversmiths. Figure 5 shows a map from this book, reflecting the original floorplan of the new factory as well as detailing the dimensions and uses of each part of the space. In addition to the silversmithing facilities themselves, the Elmwood Plant included a stable, an office (which included a museum and library), a railroad station, and a carriage house. Over time, the contours of the factory s land and buildings changed, developments which are outlined in Ria Fulton s 2011 Research Essay. 12 In addition to the original facilities mentioned above, a great point of pride for the factory was its self-sufficiency in terms of water, heating, electricity, and fire resistance - all of which relied heavily on Mashapaug pond. In the 1892 viewbook, Gorham boasts that most of the water they required for these operations was obtained from a large pond near the Engine House, which furnishes a never failing supply 13. In order to utilize this water, they also built a two 10 p p Fulton, Gorham Manufacturing Company,

4 story brick pump and fire apparatus house on the banks of Mashapaug (Figure 6) which delivered water from the pond to hydrants surrounding the building. In addition, pumps in the engine room drew water from the pond (up to thirteen thousand gallons of water) to supply the plumbing for the factory, and drinking water was drawn from the three Artisan Wells under the Pump House 14. As these descriptions reveal, while Gorham s property did not technically include the pond, it was very much a part of their operations. The 1895 edition of the Providence Atlas published five years after the new Plant had opened- demonstrates the proximity of the factory to the pond itself (Figure 7). In addition, Gorham was proud of its ventilation: the leakage of air from the rooms is outward, thereby avoiding the admission of foul odors and impure air. 15 Figure 8 shows one such airy window-filled room where artisans could work in relative comfort and safety. Although in retrospect we are able to identify a number of health and environmental hazards within the factory, at the time Gorham was considered, as Historian Sam Hough explains, one of the good safe jobs to have in the city. 16 He adds that back then, [pollution] wasn t something anybody thought about. There was so much space, just dump it in the fields. 17 By both relying on the pond for their water supply and waste disposal, we see that Gorham considered the pond to be both part of and apart from their property. In addition to the six acres of factory buildings, Gorham owned seven acres of land comprising the grounds. While some of this land included trees (as can be seen in the 1892 drawing of the land, Figure 9) much of it was groomed as lawn. Robin Taglieferri, the granddaughter of one of Gorham s groundskeepers, describes her grandfather s experience mowing the lawns: 14 Gorham Manufacturing Company, Gorham Manufacturing Company, Landau, 2011, p Landau, 2011, p. 5. 4

5 He would hear some chinky noises. He would stop the lawn mower and low and behold he would find on the ground silverware. Forks and knives and spoons and probably things that people in the factory were tossing out and maybe they would go and pick it up on their way home from work, and make themselves maybe a set of silverware in time. [...] They would be odd things here and there that someone would toss out the window and he would find them because they would jam in the lawnmower. 18 In addition to the lawn space being used as a potential dumping ground for unwanted silverware, staff publications such as The Silver Tongue 19 indicate that workers participated in sports leagues, which may have utilized the grounds space. While Gorham officially owned the parcel of land described above (and viewed in the map in Figure 7), it is worth mentioning that many Gorham workers lived in the surrounding neighborhoods as well. Details of the neighborhood s connections to Gorham through private home ownership are outlined in Anna Wada s 2011 research paper The Demographics of the Reservoir Triangle. 20 While this paper outlines the specifics of Gorham s purchase of the Elmwood property and some of their original use of the land, the company continued to build, expand, and change until the end of the 20 th century. Despite its demolition in 1997, the Gorham factory continues to affect the Elmwood neighborhood today - not only through the pollution it caused to Mashapaug, but through the many memories people carry of the factory and its relationship to the community. 18 Quintero, 2011, p The Silver Tongue, Gorham Perspective, Mettle, Contact, Harmony, and Gorham Textron Perspective are some of the periodicals the company put out for staff and other stakeholders over the years, which span topics from suggested marketing strategies, to staff sports leagues, to staff announcements of new babies. All can be found at the John Hay Library at Brown University. 20 Wada,

6 Bibliography Carpenter, Charles Hope. Gorham Silver: New York: Dodd, Mead, Conley, Patrick T. and Paul R. Campbell. Providence: A Pictorial History. Donning Company Publishers: Norfolk Fulton, Ria. How did the physical Plant of the Gorham Company change over time? When and why did the Gorham manufacturing buildings get demolished? Reservoir of Memories sdef:pdf/getpdf. The Gorham Company, Mettle. The Gorham Company: Providence, Vol. 2, No. 4. July The Gorham Company, The Silver Tongue. Volume 1, No. 1. December 1, Gorham Manufacturing Company, Views, Exterior and Interior of the Works of the Gorham Manufacturing Company Silversmiths. Providence, R. I Hall, Joseph D. Biographical History of the Manufacturers and Business Men of Rhode Island at the Opening of the Twentieth Century. J.D. Hall & Co: Providence, R.I., Hopkins, G.M. Atlas of the City of Providence and Environs. G.M. Hopkins, C.E.: Philadelphia Judson, J. E. et al, New Topographical Atlas of Surveys Providence County Rhode Island. Everts & Richards: Philadelphia, Landau, Elizabeth. Interview with Sam Hough. Brown University Library: Digital Production Services, Providence City Archives, Record of Deeds, Index, January 1, 1887 to January 1, Providence City Archives, Record of Deeds, Volume 343, January 1, 1887 to January 1, P

7 Providence City Archives, Record of Deeds, Volume 345, January 1, 1887 to January 1, 1890, P Quintero, Maria. Interview with Robin Tagliaferri. Brown Digital Repository. 29 Jan Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, Providence Industrial Sites: Statewide Historical Preservation Report P-P-6, Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, July Townsend, Horace. A Touchstone for Silver. The Gorham Company: New York, Wada, Anna. The Demographics of the Reservoir Triangle. Reservoir of Memories

8 Images Figure 1. Elmwood in 1882, before the Gorham Factory had purchased the property. (Hopkins) 8

9 Figure 2. Deed granting Gorham full ownership of Carpenter s former property, describing in detail the contours of the property (Providence City Archives). 9

10 Figure 3 Deed transferring property from the Russell Family to Gorham (Providence City Archives). 10

11 Figure 4 Reference for deeds, indicating list of people from whom Gorham purchased property (Providence City Archive). 11

12 Figure 5 Map and floor plan of Gorham original factory (Gorham Manufacturing Company, 1892). 12

13 Figure 6 View of fire department facilities on Mashapaug pond (Gorham Manufacturing Company 1892). 13

14 Figure Atlas showing the Elmwood area, now including Gorham (Judson, et al, 1895). 14

15 Figure 8. The case department at work, surrounded by windows. This image is also notable for depicting several female workers (Gorham Manufacturing Company, 1892). 15

16 Figure 9 Artist Depiction of Gorham Elmwood Plant in its early years (Gorham Manufacturing Company 1892). 16