The Worcester Wire Industry By Richard Tremblay (Washburn 1) The barbed wire industry had a tremendous impact on the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. If not for its earliest founders like Ichabod Washburn and Benjamin Goddard Worcester would be a very different place. From its humble beginnings as the Washburn and Goddard firm beginning in 1831 until the time that the plants were closed in 1978 (Ricciardi 1), the wire industry in Worcester helped to shape the history of the city. Worcester would not be where it is today if not for the tremendous success of its barbed wire industry. The Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company had a tremendous influence on the history and culture of the Worcester community, as well as the rest of the United States. In addition to Ichabod Washburn, a number of other people played important roles in the shaping of that history, including Philip Louis Moen, Charles Washburn, Charles F. Washburn, Henry S. Washburn, William E. Rice, Charles H. Morgan, and John W. Gates. The three different mills in Worcester used by Washburn & Moen also played important roles in the development and success of the company, and had their own unique functions and purposes. The involvement of Washburn & Moen in the production and sale of barbed wire, as well as their continued success through patent monopolies and vertical integration also proved to be important to the company’s overall success. The company also had an influence on the local ethnic background of Worcester. Without any one of these elements or people, the history and success of the company would have been very different. The people and elements that made up the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. and its successors greatly helped to influence the history of Worcester and the country as a whole. The wire industry in Worcester proved to be tremendously successful in the mid to late 1800s and as such, the Washburn and Moen firm proved to be the city’s largest employer for many years. One researcher even noted about Washburn that, “at his death in 1868, he presided over a million-dollar manufacturing concern that produced more than half the wire in the United States,” (Rosenzweig 35). By 1889 the company had over 3,000 employees (Ricciardi 1). As such, the immigrant workforce in Worcester grew and developed some of its own local traditions. In addition, the philanthropy of its founders helped with the construction of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and several religious institutions around the city. The most important figure behind the barbed wire industry in Worcester was Ichabod Washburn. Washburn was born on August 11, 1798, along with his twin brother Charles in Kingston, Massachusetts (ABSW 1). Ichabod was not born into wealth, but instead made his fortunes through his entrepreneurship, inventiveness and hard work. Before going into business for himself, Ichabod worked as an apprentice to a chaise and harness maker, in a cotton mill, and an apprentice to a blacksmith. He also “engaged in business on my own account for the first time, manufacturing ploughs” (Cheevey 38). He then moved on to working in the armory at Millbury, where he worked until he began work with William Hovey as a smith forging machinery (Cheevey 41-42). Through these jobs Ichabod was able to learn and gain enough skill in the mechanical professions to go into business for himself successfully. This experience also helped with Washburn’s inventiveness, which proved to be of monumental aid to his later success. Washburn first went into business with William H. Howard. Together, they manufactured woolen machinery and lead pipe. This continued until Washburn bought Howard’s half of the business when wanted to leave town. Washburn continued with this business, taking in Benjamin Goddard as a partner and forming the firm Washburn and Goddard (Cheevey 43-45). In 1830, Washburn developed a method for drawing wire from steel rods. Initially, the “process was crude, and production could not exceed fifty pounds a day,” (ABWS 1). Washburn later improved this process in 1833, such that the process could be used to draw up to 2500 pounds of wire a day, almost two orders of magnitude more than what could be initially done. This was achieved by Washburn and Goddard when, they substituted the drawing block in the machine. It had never been improved upon, and with this improvement, the operator was able to achieve a greater reduction in the wire diameter per pass with the machine, which allowed production to be increased greatly (Cheever 46-47). Washburn’s partnership with Goddard continued for eleven years until January 30, 1835 (ABSW 1). The two men dissolved their partnership on the grounds that Washburn desired to move their business to Worcester and Goddard did preferred to remain where he was. This split was caused in large part by the fact that their plant in Northville had “so far out-grown the water power, that we were obliged to remove to where we could obtain more,” (Cheevey 43). This was the end of Washburn’s first firm. Washburn then moved his wire drawing business to the Grove Mill. He continued his wire drawing business there. This was the beginning of his partnership with his brother, Charles Washburn, and the birth of the North works what would later become the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company. Its history continues from there. Ichabod Washburn was also a truly great philanthropist. Hey donated money to causes here in Worcester, the school that became Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Washburn died before the original shops’ completion, but he played a central role in its establishment, and insisted that, “this industrial education have a strong practical component,” (Papers 1) which is a tradition of the school that continues to this day. Washburn stated in his autobiography that, “at my own expense I have erected the Mission Chapel on Summer street, and mainly supported it. I aided, with others, in giving to Worcester one of the best Hotels, "The Bay State House." I originated the idea, and contributed some twenty-five thousand dollars towards the erection, of Mechanics' Hall, now so indispensable in meeting the great wants of the city for lectures, concerts, and various social gatherings, and I may say of the State also, since it affords a convenient, spacious, and commodious place for great political gatherings,” (Cheever 53). Washburn had almost as much influence on Worcester’s history through his philanthropy as he did through the industry that he created there. The most important figure next to Ichabod Washburn in the development of the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. was Philip Louis Moen. Philip L. Moen was Ichabod Washburn’s son in law. Moen managed the Quinsigamond mill for three years before Washburn gave him a full partnership in the business. After Washburn’s death in 1868 he became the president of the company. In his memorial, it was noted that, “If Mr. Washburn was born a mechanic, Mr. Moen was born to complement him in developing the manufacturing establishment which has proved such a benefit to themselves, to their workmen, to the city, and to various institutions that have enjoyed their beneficence,” (Memorial 10). He was an extremely talented and respected businessman in the Worcester community. In the twenty three years that he served as the president of the company, he was able to increase its daily production of wire by nearly 3500%. The wire produced by the company went from 8½ tons per day in 1868, to 15 tons per day in 1873, and finally to 300 tons per day in 1891 (Memorial 63). He was also noted to have, “built the business on a broad foundation,” such that it, “did not depend on any one individual,” (Memorial 88). This helped the company to remain diverse and continue its operation even in the absence of its key officers. Philip L. Moen was also noted as being a compassionate and effective businessman for a number of reasons. He was held to be a very insightful and cautious businessman. It was noted in his Memorial that, “in every improvement or change or enlargement contemplated, he never lost sight of the safety or profitableness of the works as a whole. He wanted to see every risk clearly reduced to the absolute minimum before consenting to take it” (Memorial 10). In addition to being a successful businessman, he was also a respected as an employer by his workers and others. It was also noted in his Memorial that he had a, “constant courtesy and tender regard for the interests of others,” (Memorial 88), and that he was, “never indifferent to the humblest employee,” (Memorial 93). Moen was regarded to be a fair and kind employer, and was respected as a businessman. Even in spite of his regard for the interests of others, he was noted for his constant ability to use his time effectively. Moen was also largely responsible for the ethnic groups that were employed by the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. He had gained a respect for the work ethic of both Swedish and Armenian people during his service in the Civil War. He actively recruited both Swedish and Armenian workers for their strong work ethic, and possibly their tendency to not unionize. Moen was also known and sought out for his wisdom and philanthropy by charitable, educational, and financial institutions. Among his other accomplishments, Moen was elected the deacon of his church by his congregation and was valued for his wisdom and knowledge (Memorial 12-16). He was also a member of the board of trustees to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Memorial 28). Next in importance to the company after Ichabod Washburn and Philip L. Moen were William E. Rice, Henry S. Washburn, and Charles F. Washburn. William E. Rice served as both the treasurer and president of the company at different times. He was also instrumental to Washburn & Moen in bringing over the technology for a continuous rolling mill from overseas. Henry S. Washburn was Ichabod Washburn’s cousin. He served as the manager of the South Works for a number of years, and helped with the vertical integration of the company. Finally, Charles F. Washburn, the nephew of Ichabod Washburn and son of Charles Washburn, served as the vice president of the company after the death of Ichabod. Charles F. Washburn was instrumental in bringing Washburn & Moen into the barbed wire industry. William E. Rice was at one time the treasurer, and after the death of Moen, the President of Washburn & Moen. He started his career in the wire making business in 1852, at the age of 18, in the accounting office of Washburn & Moen. After spending seven years learning the wire business, then left to form his own firm (People 2). The firm was called William E. Rice and company, and Rice partnered with Dorrance S. Goddard, the son of Benjamin Goddard, to form it. Rice later purchased Goddard’s interest in the business in 1865 and sold the plant to a paper mill company. At that time, Ichabod Washburn purchased the wire-drawing machinery and fulfilled his promise to rise and made him the secretary and sales manager of his company (Worcester Units 19). Rice was also instrumental to Washburn in his contributions to the company’s interests in establishing a continuous rolling mill. He had been closely following the technical developments in England on the subject. Rice was commissioned by Washburn to visit George Bedson, inventor of the Bedson mill, or continuous rolling mill (Worcester Units 20). Washburn had Rice report on the advisibility of purchasing a Bedson mill with a Siemen’s furnace. Unfortunately Rice found that the same invention had been patented in France by Comer and Levis. Washburn & Moen then purchased the interests in the US patent, and hired Comer to come to Worcester to operate the new equipment and supervise the construction of the new mill. He continued in the business and later became the manager and treasurer of the South Works. He continued with the company until the South Works became a part of the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. in 1868. It was at this time that he was given the position of treasurer in The Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. Shortly thereafter, upon an argument between Washburn & Moen over the appropriate location of the new continuous rolling mill, Rice submitted an “unlooked-for” letter of resignation to Washburn (Worcester Units 21). Washburn wanted the new mill to be built at the Grove Street location to preserve the prestige of that mill, while Rice wanted it to be built at the newer, South Works location. In a bit of diplomacy, Washburn accepted his resignation in order to ensure that the new continuous rolling mill be built at the Grove Street mill. Rice continued in the wire drawing business separately until 1891, when, upon the death of Moen, the Moen family asked Rice to take over as president of the company. Rice accepted this position and continued at it until the sale of the company in 1899 to the American Steel & Wire Company of New Jersey. Henry S. Washburn was Ichabod Washburn’s cousin. Henry was born in Providence RI in 1813. He graduated from Worcester Academy but had to leave Brown University before graduating due to health reasons. (Worcester Units 12). He later became the head agent for the Baptist Sabbath School Depository in Boston. Due to the poor quality of iron and steel rods produced locally, Ichabod Washburn imported all of his wire rods from abroad. Up until 1845 Ichabod had been personally traveling to Boston to get each importation of wire rods. As he aged, he felt it would be helpful if he could get someone he knew to pick up the wire rods for him. Then, in 1845 Ichabod made the proposal to Henry that he, “come to Worcester and supervise the erection of a mill for rolling wire rods and take charge of its operation,” (Worcester Units 12). He would also be responsible for picking up the imported wire rods from the custom house in Boston. Henry would sell the rods to Ichabod at actual cost, and Ichabod also had the advantage of obtaining wire rods from a home source. Henry’s compensation for doing so was to be that he could sell whatever remained of the wire rods after supplying local needs for his own profit. This proposal went into effect in 1846 and the Quinsigamond Iron and Wire Works (or South Works) was built. This continued until 1849 when Philip L. Moen and Charles Washburn withdrew from their partnership with Henry. In 1851, Henry began to make wire in addition to rolling rods for Ichabod. In 1853 he formed a copartnership with Charles F. Washburn, the nephew of Ichabod. This partnership continued until 1857, when the partnership was dissolved on May 1 (Washburn 150). Henry then relocated his business to a building near the freight depot of the west railroad. Henry remained in the business of rolling wire rods until he retired in 1862 (Worcester Units 13). Henry S. Washburn was also actively involved in the Worcester community. He served two terms as a state Senator, and was a member of the Boston School Board for 17 years. He was also the director of the Worcester Bank from 1852 to 1857. Henry was also elected President of the Worcester Mechanic’s Association four times, and spoke at the dedication of Mechanic’s Hall (Worcester Units 13). He was a respected businessman and politician within the community of Worcester. Charles F. Washburn was the son of Charles Washburn. He formed a copartnership with Henry S. Washburn on January 2, 1853 (Washburn 148). This partnership continued until it was dissolved on May 1, 1857. Henry relocated his business to another location and Charles F. formed a partnership with his father under the name of Charles Washburn & Son (Washburn 150). They continued in business at the Quinsigamond (South) Works. They manufactured most of their wire at this location from scrap iron, which was heated and rolled into billets. Charles F. Washburn later became the vice president of Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. after the death of Ichabod Washburn in 1868. Charles F. Washburn was also responsible for bringing Washburn & Moen into the barbed wire business. In 1876, upon noticing that an unusual amount of the company’s wire was being sent to DeKalb Illinois, he traveled there to investigate the matter. In his first trip to Illinois, he visited Jacob Haish. Upon an inspection of his factory and equipment, Washburn asked Haish about the purchase of his company and patent rights. Haish offered to sell Washburn his equipment and patent rights for $200,000 (Warren 6). Washburn, believing Haish to be serious, promptly left the factory without discussing the sale further. After the failed meeting with Jacob Haish, Washburn then met with Joseph Glidden and was able to convince him to sell his half-interest in the then Barbed Wire Fence Company, which later became the Thorn Wire Hedge Co., to Washburn (Krell 28). The sale was for $60,000 plus $0.25 per ton of barbed wire produced by the company up to $100,000. Charles became a silent partner with Elwood, the owner of the other half-interest in Glidden’s patent. Ellwood would become the sole barbed wire agent in the West and Southwest and Washburn in the East. Together, as a result of this exchange, the two companies were able to establish a long-standing, powerful oligopoly on barbed wire. Finally, John Warne Gates, Charles Washburn, Stephen Salisbury, and Charles H. Morgan also played important roles in the development of Washburn & Moen. John W. Gates was once a barbed wire salesman for the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. working in San Antonio, Texas. His tremendous success helped to bring a booming barbed wire market to Washburn & Moen. Charles Washburn was the brother of Ichabod Washburn and the father of Charles F. Washburn. He held, at different times, important partnerships with both his brother Ichabod and his son Charles F. Washburn. Stephen Salisbury built many mills that were used by local wire manufacturers in Worcester. Some of these were mills used by Washburn & Moen. Finally, Charles H. Morgan served as general superintendent for Washburn & Moen for a number of years, and his company built several buildings for Washburn & Moen as well. John Warne Gates was a barbed wire salesman for the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. Originally Gates was the half owner of a hardware store in Illinois. After this, he became a barbed wire salesman for Washburn & Moen in San Antonio, Texas in 1876. Prior to his arrival in Texas, earlier attempts to convince Texans of the desirability of barbed wire fences had been met with resistance. Texans were afraid that the barbed wire would injure their livestock, and as Allen Krell puts it, “entrenched in the culture of the open range,” (Krell 28). They had not yet been convinced of its benefits and were still unaware of its usefulness. Initially Gates, like his predecessors, met with little success in Texas. This continued until he saw the stage performance of a medicine salesman called “Doc Lighthall” (Worcester Units 22). After watching the show, Gates got the idea for the method for demonstrating the barbed wire, and proceeded with his idea to give the local ranchers “a show” like “Doc Lighthall“. He got a permit from the town to build a temporary corral in the center of the town using barbed wire. He then spent the next three days building the corral, refusing to tell the townspeople what it was for. This helped to build suspense and interest for his demonstration that was to come once the corral was finished. Upon completion of the corral, Gates had farmers place their “toughest and wildest” animals in the corral to see if they could break out. Among these animals was a local bull called “Old Jim”. His owner said that he thought the bull “would go through anything“ (Washburn 156). Not surprisingly, not even Old Jim could get through the barbed wire fence. Gates also took bets from curious onlookers as to whether the animals could break out or not. He even gave two torches to a Mexican rider and allowed him to startle the animals. This caused them to charge the fence (Krell 28). Surprisingly enough, none of the animals were able to break loose and none were injured. The ranchers were astonished and the orders came flying in. As a result of this, Gates returned to Illinois with more orders than the company could handle. At that time, he asked for a partnership in Washburn & Moen but was refused. It was at this point that Gates promptly quit from his position. Not long after leaving Washburn & Moen, in order to get back at the company, Gates went into the barbed wire industry as a moonshine manufacturer, producing barbed wire illegally without the patent rights. He continued doing so until Washburn & Moen won a major patent lawsuit in 1892, when he found out that Jacob Haish had given up on fighting against Washburn & Moen in court. Gates then decided to change his tactics and began buying up barbed wire manufacturers into a single company. The company was called the Columbia Patent Company, a forerunner of American Steel & Wire. By 1899 Gates’ company had a monopoly on 96% of all barbed wire manufacturers and had purchased the rights to all the patents owned by Washburn & Moen, on the condition that Washburn & Moen retained use of the patents (McCallum 89). In 1899 Gates finally got back at Washburn & Moen when the company became a part of American Steel & Wire. Stephen Salisbury was responsible for the construction of many factory buildings in the Worcester area. Some of these buildings included the mills used by Washburn & Moen. In particular, he was responsible for the construction of the Mill Brook and Grove Street mills for the company . He was also responsible for the construction of many factory buildings and renting space to many struggling industries in Worcester (Worcester Historical 14). His help to early industries and philanthropy to the community had a great influence on the Worcester community and its industries. Charles H. Morgan served as the general superintendent for Washburn & Moen for twenty three years. At the age of 15 Morgan began learning the machinist’s trade with his uncle J. B. Parker (Worcester Units 16). He also took evening lessons in mechanical drawing, which he felt gave him his start in the business (Worcester Units 16). He then proceeded to rise to the position of general superintendent of Washburn & Moen in . He also founded the Morgan Spring Company and the Morgan Construction Company. Charles Washburn was the father of Charles F. Washburn and the twin brother of Ichabod Washburn. He was a partner with Ichabod under the name of I. & C. Washburn for 7 years from 1842 to 1849. He also went into business with his son in 1857 under the name of Charles Washburn & Son. While Charles Washburn himself was not tremendously important to the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. itself, he was very important in the partnerships that he formed with his brother and son in terms of the eventual success of the company as a whole. The Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Co. was also involved in two separate U.S. Supreme Court cases of notable significance. These lawsuits were for tremendous sums of money, and had a significant effect on the success of the company. In the first suit, Washburn & Moen Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company v. Reliance Marine Insurance Company, the firm sued its insurance company over the loss of its cargo from the Benjamin Hale. Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Co. was suing the insurance company for a loss of $48,800. The ship had run aground twice on its way to Velasco, the intended destination, and much of the firm’s cargo had to be thrown overboard. Most of the ship’s cargo did eventually arrive at Velasco, but not as originally intended. The company did not claim the cargo upon arrival and as such it was auctioned off. The courts eventually ruled in favor of Washburn and Moen in the amount of $2500, due to a clause in the insurance agreement limiting the insurance company’s liability to 5% of the cargo (U.S. 1). This amount was substantially less than the value of the cargo and resulted in a huge loss for the company. The second lawsuit involving Washburn and Moen and the supreme court was Thorn Wire Hedge Co. v. Washburn and Moen Mfg. Co. This case involved a dispute over the amount owed by the Washburn and Moen Mfg. Co. to Joseph Glidden. The original agreement between the two companies had been for Washburn & Moen to pay Glidden $60,000 plus $0.25 per 100 pounds of barbed wire produced up to $100,000. There appears to have been some disagreement over the final total amount to be paid by Washburn & Moen, with The Thorn Wire Hedge Co. claiming that the total amount to be paid was $150,000. The case was eventually settled out of court in an agreement between the two companies wherein Washburn & Moen agreed to pay Glidden a sum of $10,000. The barbed wire industry in Worcester also had a significant effect on the town’s ethnic background and history. Working in the wire mills required no formal education, and attracted many immigrant workers. Among the ethnic groups common to the Washburn and Moen plants were Swedish, Irish, Canadian, French, and Armenian immigrants (Ricciardi 1). The Swedish and Armenian immigrant groups were of particular importance to Moen in his factories, and he actively recruited them. Washburn and Moen was particularly important for Swedish immigrant groups. One researcher noted that, “Moen had studied in Sweden in his younger years and, observing the work ethic of the Swedish people, he actively recruited a number of Swedish workers to come to Worcester to staff his factories,” (Ricciardi 1). The Swedish workers made up the majority of Washburn and Moen’s employees and were often involved in conflicts with the other ethnic groups. Another noted that Moen, “was a shrewd businessman who valued his Armenian workers for their loyalty, diligence and general attitude of gratitude for the jobs they were given,” (Southwick 2). This was unique in that very few Armenians lived in the US in the early 1880s, and most of the roughly 250 Armenian immigrants that lived in Worcester in 1887 worked for Washburn & Moen. The Armenian workers were grateful to Moen and believed that he had their interests at heart, despite the poor conditions in the wire mills. The different ethnicities employed by Washburn & Moen also, in turn, had a significant influence on the company’s success and operation. The figure below shows the employment of Washburn & Moen by ethnicity. It was taken from Charles G. Washburn’s Industrial Worcester. As one can see, Swedish people were the dominant ethnicity to be employed by Washburn & Moen, followed by Lithuanian and Irish workers. Armenian workers are also ranked high in this chart, being the eighth most employed by Washburn and Moen at that time. It may also be noted that this chart was developed for the employment of 1915, twenty four years after Moen’s death. In spite of this, however, his employment trends still appear in the numbers. Source: Industrial Worcester p. 164 In addition to the people that played an important role in the company’s development, the three mills of the Washburn & Moen had a large influence on the company’s success and operations at different times. The company owned three different mills in Worcester at different times. It also owned its own cotton mill as of 1863 in order to produce enough yarn to cover the daily production of wire (Ricciardi 1). These mills were most commonly known as North, Central, and South Works. The North Works mill was the oldest of the three, followed by the Central and South Works. The North Works was also known as the Grove Street mill. This was the company’s first and primary wire drawing mill. This building was built by Stephen Salisbury, under the direction of Ichabod Washburn in 1834 (Cheever 46). The North Works was also the site where Washburn & Moen’s continuous rolling mill was installed. The South Works was also known as the Quinsigamond mill. The South Works was established in 1846, with Henry S. Washburn serving as its manager. It later became the Quinsigamond Iron & Wire Works, before being incorporated into the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company in 1868. The Electrical Cable works was established by Washburn & Moen in 1891 at a location on Union Street. It was then moved to the South Works three years later. In 1899 the South Works became a part of the American Steel & Wire Corporation. The Central Works dates from 1840 and was bought by Ichabod Washburn. Washburn placed his old partner, Benjamin Goddard, in charge of this plant. The function of this mill was to serve, “as a feeder for the Grove Street Works, by taking wire rods from Quinsigamond and drawing them to 20½, at which size the wire was delivered to Grove Street for further reduction,” (Worcester Units 18-19). It continued to operate until it was dismantled and sold in 1870, at which point the machinery was distributed to the North and South Works. William E. Rice, after having left Washburn & Moen, later purchased the property, which had been heavily mortgaged to Washburn & Moen in 1877. He then organized the Worcester Wire Company at this mill, which operated as a separate company until 1899, when the company was bought by the American Steel & Wire Company. The production of wire for other uses besides barbed wire also proved to be tremendously helpful to the company’s success. In addition to making plain and barbed wire, Washburn & Moen also produced a large number of important wire products over the years. These products included wire for gimlet screws, crinoline wire, telegraph wire, piano wire, telegraph wire, galvanized wire, and many other such products. The large variety of wire products produced by Washburn & Moen helped them to have continued success in rapidly changing times for many years. Early in his career in wire drawing, Ichabod Washburn was approached by a local inventor and Worcester resident about the production of wire for gimlet screws. This local inventor, “asked him if, as an expert in iron working, he could draw down a twelve foot rod to the gage size of the screw required,” (Fifty 21). Washburn followed up with this inquiry and found it to be possible. This proved to be a tremendously successful venture for Washburn and helped to earn him the title of, “the father of American wire drawing in its advanced type” (Fifty 21). The production of wire for gimlet screws helped to give Washburn an early and profitable start in the wire drawing business. In addition to wire for gimlet screws, Washburn & Moen also produced a number of very important wire products that helped to bring the company success. Piano wire proved to one such product. In 1850 Washburn was approached by a Mr. Chickering from Boston, a piano maker, about the drawing of piano wire (Cheever 49-50). Ichabod took great pride in the work of experimenting with and producing the piano wire, and the piano wire produced in Worcester was regarded to be of the highest quality. As William Braid White noted in his book on the subject, “most of the piano wire used in America is (was) made in Worcester“ (White 5). Crinoline, galvanized, and telegraph wire also proved to be important key products in Washburn & Moen’s success. Crinoline wire was used commonly used for hoop skirts, a fashion craze of the 1860’s (Washburn 151). The demand for crinoline wire lasted from about 1859 to 1870, when the hoop skirts were replaced by another fashion craze. Crinoline was also used in the production of sewing needles and corsets. Plain wire was also produced by Washburn & Moen for use as telegraph wire, which proved to be a very successful industry. The invention of the telegraph in the US by Samuel Morse created a tremendous demand for plain wire. The company was also able to obtain an English patent for the production of galvanized wire without weakening it or exposing it to acid for a prolonged period of time (Cheever 51). This made them virtually the sole producers of galvanized wire in the US. In addition to the products produced by the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., the company’s involvement in the barbed wire patent wars also had a tremendous influence on the company’s overall success. The Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co., along with the Thorn Wire Hedge Co. of DeKalb Illinois, was involved in numerous groundbreaking court cases in the late 1870’s through the 1890’s regarding their patents. A growing number of manufacturers, including John W. Gates’ company, produced barbed wire illegally without the patent rights to either the machinery or the barbed wire itself. Moonshine wire, or so it was called, was illegal manufactured barbed wire produced by individuals who did not own the patent rights to, or have a license to manufacture, the barbed wire that they were producing. The two companies attempted to obtain an oligopoly on barbed wire by buying up many of the major barbed wire patents. They were successful in obtaining the rights to almost all of the original patents except for the patents to Jacob Haish’s “S” style barbed wire patents. Two of their major victories in these court battles came in December of 1880 and then later in 1892. The first of their major victories came in December of 1880, the Federal District Court of Northern Illinois ruled in favor of Washburn & Moen and Thorn Wire Hedge Co. As was noted in Business History Review, “Through threats, injunctions, and outright purchase of conflicting patents, they established their bottom patent. In December 1880, they successfully tested the validity of their patent monopoly in the Federal District Court of Northern Illinois,” (McFadden 469). This ruling required that their competitors obtain a license in order to continue manufacturing barbed wire. This was a major victory for them, and in 1881 the licenses earned them $334,642.05 in the form of royalties, damages, and bonuses (McFadden 469). This ruling also allowed Washburn and Moen to fix the prices at which these licensed companies were allowed to sell their barbed wire. This proved to be a temporary victory, however, as many companies continued to produce barbed wire illegally without the purchase of a license. As it turned out, however these companies could only be stopped through the courts, which proved to be very expensive. Finally, in 1892 a supreme court decision was ruled in favor of W & M and Thorn Wire Co. against Jacob Haish. This decision ruled in favor of the originality of the Glidden patent, together with the other patents that the two companies had purchased. This decision made them the sole producers of barbed wire, one year after the Glidden patent expired in 1891. In addition to the company’s involvement in patent wars in the late 1880’s and early 1890’s, the vertical integration of the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. also helped it to survive the rising cost of plain wire and succeed in the barbed wire industry. In the 1990s many barbed wire manufacturers were being forced out of business due to the falling price of barbed wire. Many were unable to continue production because the cost of buying plain wire used in the production of barbed wire was too high. Facing the rising price of plain wire, many smaller manufacturers were squeezed out of the industry by 1890. As Joseph McFadden noted in Business History Review, “of the myriad end products of the steel industry, none played a more strategic role in the evolution of modern, vertically integrated enterprise than barbed wire,” (McFadden 467). Manufacturers like Washburn & Moen and Thorn Wire Hedge Co., who could produce their own plain wire, were able to survive the falling price of barbed wire through vertical integration. The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey was the company that succeeded the Washburn and Moen Mfg. Co. after buying the company in 1899. After the death of Philip L. Moen in 1891, upon the request of the Moen family, William E. Rice became the president of the Washburn & Moen Mfg. Co. Rice sold the company to the American Steel & Wire company in 1899. By 1899 The American Steel and Wire Company had, “the monopolization of 96 per cent of all barbed wire manufacturing facilities within one giant company,” (McFadden 466). In 1901 The American Steel and Wire Company was purchased by the US Steel Corporation. The American Steel and Wire Company continued to operate as one of its subordinates. Both Ichabod Washburn and Philip Moen had a cultural influence on the local temperance movements in Worcester. Washburn and Moen recognized the dangers of drinking for the workers, and the company protested saloons near their Northworks and Southworks plants (Rosenzweig 61). The existence of the Worcester wire industry also had an influence on the local traditions of the immigrant workforce. Works Cited "ABWS." Antique Barbed Wire Society. <http://www.antiquebarbedwiresociety.com/>. "Barb Wire History." Devil's Rope Museum. 2/25/2007 2007. <http://www.barbwiremuseum.com/barbedwirehistory.htm>. "Brief History of Barbed Wire." Kansas Barbed Wire Museum. 2008. <http://www.rushcounty.org/BarbedWireMuseum/BWhistory.htm>. Cheever, Henry T. Autobiography and Memorials of Ichabod Washburn. Boston: B. 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