Steam In Transition: A History of the Nichols and Shepard Company and the Port Huron Engine and Thresher Company
(Page 4 of 9)
May/June 2001
Charles O. Olsen,
In 1875, a debate took place during a city council meeting in
Port Huron. The question of establishing a successful industry in
that city had gone unanswered for several months. Deciding to take
action, the city council concluded that such an industry was vital
to the growth of Port Huron. The council authorized the task of
securing a good business over to Charles E. Harrington, one of the
city's prominent citizens. Harrington, along with two
associates, met with several other citizens from Port Huron and
received verbal commitments to invest capital in the proposed
project.13 Knowing he had financial backing, Harrington
proceeded to Battle Creek specifically to visit the Upton
Manufacturing Company.
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Harrington and Brown apparently struck a bargain, because three
years later, Upton Manufacturing relocated in Port Huron. A total
of fifty-one people subscribed for approximately $100,000 worth of
stock in the company. Brown retained a large minority interest in
the business, and functioned as plant manager because of his
experience in manufacturing. A building plan of various stages
accommodated the facility. By 1885, 20 buildings of different
heights and sizes were constructed on a 40 acre parcel near 24th
Street and the tracks of the Electric Light Railroad Company. A
board of directors came into existence at this time, and its first
officers were: President, Charles F. Harrington; Vice-President,
Henry Howard; Secretary and Treasurer, Frank A. Peavey: and
Superintendent, Rueben Shettler.14
In 1889, Upton Manufacturing Company employed 102 factory
assemblers/machinists, 15 traveling salesmen, and eight office
workers. The Upton line of agricultural machinery consisted of the
following:
Upton Horsepower available in two sizes
Upton Plain Portable engines available in three sizes
Upton Traction Engines including 'Longfellow' boilers came
in five sizes
Upton 'Combination' separators three sizes
New Port Huron separators in three sizes15
In the following years, the remaining stock of William Brown was
purchased, and the name of the company was changed to the Port
Huron Steam Engine and Thresher Company. During the early 1890s,
America experienced a depression and at several occasions the
company was on the verge of financial ruin. What appeared to save
the company from liquidation and receivership was a bicycling craze
that swept over America in the mid 1890's. The company
recognized the necessity for road improvements and repair for
bicyclists through the design and deployment of steam rollers and
road graders. This new line of machinery led to a meeting of the
first International Good Roads Congress in Port Huron on July 4,
1900 where the company provided the equipment and staged a
demonstration in road paving.16 More importantly
however, the road construction machinery propped up sagging sales.
The following figures give a yearly total of sales in dollars:
1897$300,273; 1898 $561,572; 1899$700,814; 1900$989,110; 1901
$l,110,000.17
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