Special thanks to Bonnie Blau for transcribing and submitting this section to our project.
PAINTS
Aaron WILHELM began the manufacture of paint s Easton, Pa., in 1857, and continued the business there until 1871, when he removed to Reading. His brother William H. was then associated with him under the name of A. WILHELM & Bro., and they continued the business until 1878, when William H. retired and Walter S. DAVIS was admitte4d in his stead. From that time the firm traded as A. WILHELM & Co. In 1889 Aaron WILHELM died and a company was incorporated under the name of "The A. WILHELM Co.", of which Charles W. WILHELM became resident and Walter S. DAVIS secretary and treasurer, they serving these positions until the present time. They manufacture paints of every description and ship them to all parts of the country through distributing houses at Boston, Baltimore, Buffalo and Pittsburg. The establishment was situated on Poplar street beyond Walnut until 1902, and until then was the largest paint enterprise in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia. In 1902 it was removed to Exeter street, in Reading, and there it has continued in active and successful operation until the present time. The average number of hands employed is 75.
B. Frank RUTH was employed in the WILHELM works from 1873 to 1884, when he organized a company for the manufacture of paints of all kinds, fillers for wood and iron, varnishes, japans, putty, etc., consisting of himself, C. Edward HECHT and Edward SCULL. They traded as B. F. RUTH & Co. and established a mill at No. 229 South Eighth street. They carried on the business until 1894, when the mill was removed to No. 210 South Eighth street, where larger facilities were provided and Mr. RUTH became the sole owner. His productions are forwarded to all parts of the United States. He has continued there until the present time, employing from 5 to 10 hands.
In 1887, F. H. MORGAN, after being in the employ of the WILHELM works for some years, began the manufacture of paints in a limited way with James RUTH as a partner, on Court street above Second, and in 1890 William G. MOORE became associated with them. They located the works at Eleventh and Muhlenberg streets and carried on the same extensively. In 1896, H. H. JACKSON and Jenkin HILL became the purchasers Mr. MORGAN established a place for himself at No. 122 Wood street, where he has continued until the present time, employing several hands.
PANTS FACTORIES
In the year 1885, Solomon HIRSHLAND and Isaac SAMUEL started a pants factory trading as the Reading Pants Manufacturing Company, and carried it on until 1891, when HIRSHLAND became the sole owner. In 1896 he located at No. 533 Penn Square and has continued there until now. He does a large and successful business and employs from 25 to 30 hands.
In 1895, Albert J. BRUMBACH established a fine three-story brick factory at Fourteenth and Muhlenberg streets for the manufacture of pants out of his own woolen cloths produces at the St. Lawrence Mills in Exeter township. He employs 100 hands.
In 1904, J. G. LEINBACH & Co. also began the manufacture of pants and vests from their own cloths, which they produced at the Reading Woolen Mills, and they have since produced great quantities, employing about 80 hands.
PAPER
The Reading Paper Mills is a corporation organized in 1886 with a capital of $300,000, for the purpose of operating three superior mills in the manufacture of fine book and plate paper. The following sketch embraces the important facts of the three establishments:
Penn Street Mill. In 1841 Philip BUSHONG, a prominent and successful distiller, moved from Reamstown to Reading, purchased a large brick building at the foot of Court street on the west side of Front (which had been occupied for several years previously as a machine shop) and converted it into a distillery. He carried on the business of distilling whiskey there until 1865, when he substituted the manufacture of paper, equipping the building with the necessary machinery for that purpose. He died in 1868. The mill was then carried on for several years by his son George and his son-in-law Alexander JACOBS for the estate, and afterward by his sons Jacob and Henry until 1887, when it was sold to the corporation named.
Packerack Mill. In 1838 Asa PACKER and Robert W. PACKER purchased a large lot of ground at the foot on Bingaman street adjoining the Schuylkill canal from Daniel SEIDERS, a boat builder, and erected thereon a large warehouse for storing merchandise in connection with operating boats on the canal. In 1853 the premises were sold to George R. FRILL, who then converted the building into a large gristmill, and he and Solomon BRUBAKER carried on the milling business until 1872, when it was sold to Jacob BUSHONG, Henry BUSHONG and George B. CONNARD, and changed into a paper-mill. This mill was then operated by Mr. CONNARD for some years, and after by him, Christopher LOESER, and James SYMINGTON, trading as the Reading Paper Company until 1882, when George F. BAER became the owner; and after the organization of the Reading Paper Mills, it was conveyed to the corporation. The building was enlarged and improved and subsequently an addition was built to it to supply a department for coating paper.
Tulpehocken Mill. Samuel BELL owned and operated a gristmill at the mouth of the Tulpehocken creek in Bern township, for a number of years, and subsequently until 1966, it was known as the KISSINGER Mill. Then Benjamin F. SCHWARTZ and William H. SCHWARTZ became the owners. They converted it into a paper-mill, and carried on the manufacture of paper for two years. George W. BUSHONG then purchased the mill and operated it successfully until 1876, producing a superior grade of paper which had a wide reputation and came to be known as the "BUSHONG Paper". The Mill was afterward operated by different parties until 1882, when George F. BAER became the owner, and in 1887 he conveyed it with the two mills mentioned to the Reading Paper Mills.
The three mills have been operated by the corporation named very successfully until now, the Penn Street Mill producing fine book and plate papers; the Packerack Mill, book and coated papers; and the Tulpehocken Mill, manilla paper exclusively. The product of the first two mills has been disposed of principally to publishers and lithographers in the United States for fine book work; and of the last in the United States and England for making sandpaper. Hand employed number 300, with James M. MILLER as the general manager. The officers of the company are: George F. BAER, president; James N. MOHR, vice president; Charles A. BUSHONG, treasurer, and Heber Y. YOST, secretary.
PATTERN WORKS
In 1900, Howard F. HAWK started trading under the name of Reading Pattern Works for the manufacture of all kinds of patterns. He employs 3 hands.
In 1908, Henry ADAMS and William BETZ began trading as the Mt. Penn Pattern Works and they employ 2 hands. They are successors of Daniel MADLEM, who started at Reading in 1874 and continued until his decease in 1906.
In 1906, J. S. CREITZ established a pattern works for supplying patterns for all kinds of machinery, automobiles and ornamental work. He employs 5 hands.
Robert McLEAN started trading as the Ideal Pattern Works n 1905. He employs 2 hands.
PICTURE FRAMES AND GILDING
Godfrey GRAEFF, a German, came to Reading in 1858, and carried on the business of gilding and manufacturing picture frames of all kinds at No. 635 Penn street until 1871, when he was succeeded by Francis WOERNER, and Mr. WOERNER remained at the same stand until 1892, when he located at No. 22 North Fifth street, where he continued actively and successfully engaged in the business until his decease in 1903. His son, Oscar L. WOERNER succeeded him and he has carried on the business successfully until the present time. He made several displays of paintings by local artists, which attracted much favorable attention and his enterprise in this behalf was night appreciated. He employs from 5 to 7 hands.
Reinhard RIEGER learned this business under Mr. WOERNER and continued with him from 1874 to 1879, when he went to Philadelphia to learn more about it. In 1883, he returned to Reading and began business for himself on Sixth street below Penn, where he continued with increasing success until 1900, when he removed to No. 5 North Fifth street, where he has continued until the present time. He employs 4 hands.
Jarius W. ZIEGLER started in the business in 1900 and he employs from 3 to 5 hands.
PLANING MILLS
In the year 1869, George GASSER, Sr., came to Reading from Myerstown, established a planing-mill at Ninth and Green streets, and carried it on successfully until his decease in 1887, having traded under the name of Northeastern Planing Mill. It was afterward carried on by different parties until 1903, when the Northeastern Planing Mill Company became the owner and it has since operated the plant in a successful manner, with 45 to 50 hands. John L. RHOADS has been the president, treasurer and manager of the company, and Daniel C. ROTH the secretary.
From 1835 to 1855, William B. HERTZEL was a prominent builder at Reading and he then established a planing-mill which was operated by him successfully until 1872. It was afterward run by different parties until 1893, when the F. SHUNK Planing Mill Company became the owner, and it was operated by this company until 1902, when it was succeeded by the Penn Planing Mill Company, which has carried on the plant until the present time, employing about 65 hands. The officers of the company are: Harry SHUNK, president; Conrad B. HIGH, secretary-treasurer.
In 1874, a planing mill was established on Spruce street below Third by EISENHOWER, FINK & Co.; it was operated by this company until 1894, and afterward by different parties until 1901, when it came into the possession of the SHEEDER Planing Mill Company, with Benjamin F. SHEEDER as president, which has carried on the plant since in a successful manner, employing 15 hands.
The Neversink Planing Mill Company, Ltd. (Frederick HENDRICKS, Joseph H. WADE and John H. BECHTEL as partners), was organized in 1901 for carrying on a planing-mill along the Lebanon Valley railroad at Gordon street, and has since operated the plant successfully, with 30 and 40 hands employed. This mill is equipped for cabinet work as well as general mill work, which is a specialty.
ROPES, CORDS AND TWINESThe first ropewalk conducted at Reading was established there in the year 1829 by Thomas JACKSON, an Englishman, along the southerly side of the Schuylkill canal between the Lancaster Bridge and Jackson's lock. HE then employed 5 hands, and manufactured all kinds of ropes and twines. By 1850 he had developed his plant so as to employ from 15 to 20 hands. The superintendent of the Schuylkill canal, Samuel GRISCOM, patronized him extensively, whereby he came to make nearly all the ropes for the company and for personal owners of boats.
In 1850 the large freshet swept away his factory, and he located on First Hockley lane between Eighth and Ninth streets (now beyond Greenwich street), transferring the plant from the extreme southern end of the city to the then extreme northern end. He erected a large two-story building and continued to manufacture ropes and twines by hand-spinning. About 1862 his business increased very much and he then introduced machinery, increasing the employes to 25. His ropewalk was built to the length of 1450 feet. In 1875 his son Henry H. was admitted as a partner, and from that time the business was conducted under the name of Thomas JACKSON & Son.
The senior partner died in 1878, when the entire plant became the property of Henry H. JACKSON, but the firm name was continued. The business has been carried on very successfully until now. The works comprise three mills, and employ 150 hands. The productions are fine manila, sisal and jute ropes and cordage, twines and packing yarns of different kinds, which are forwarded to all parts of the United States.
This ropewalk has been the only establishment of its kind carried on at Reading. Other persons were engaged in the business of manufacturing ropes, cords and twines at different times, in a limited way, but it was previous to 1860.
William H. GERMAN has been connected with this place as the chief clerk since 1890.
RUBBER STAMPS AND STENCILS
In 1873, Francis H. PAFF began making rubber stamps, stencil work of all kinds, police badges and corporation seals; and in 1882 he located his shop at No. 60 South Seventh street, where he has continued since, manufacturing the articles named on order.
RUGS:
F. S. KELLEY started manufacturing rugs out of rags in 1907, at Reading, and has continued until now, employing 4 hands.
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