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.
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