The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-23
Great Factory, the His
tory Of Which Is City's
Commercial History.
RICHMOND'S MARK
ON ALL ITS WARES
Some Things About Richmond's
Greatness as Manufacturing
Centre That Even Richmond
People Don't Know Much
About-Richmond Stove &.
Co. Old Establishment.

Some weeks ago. maybe It was a
month ago. I wrote an article which
was In the nature Of an appeal to the
merchants and tho manufacturers OF
Richmond To give to all OF their goods
II distinctive Richnlond mark q mark
or a sign that would show to the
world that the goods were made or
handled In Richmond. Tho idea
wanted to convey was plain enough.
1 believed then and believe now that
Richmond mado goods can stand tho
test anywhere in tho world, and that
being true, 1 could see no good reason
why Richmond manufacturers should
not take advantage of Richmonds his
torica! eminence and Richmond's re-
| putation for all things that arc good
and pure and right, to push trade. In
that article. as well as l remember
1 deplored the fact that there was,
or seemed 20 be, so little Of that kind
Of pride which glories In all things
done and we'll done at home. 1 ap-
pealed to all of tho people who make
things in Richmond to follow the ex-
ample OF tho Germans, who mark all
| of their goods Made in Germany"
| and argued that such a course would
advertise Richmond TO the four corners
| of the earth as perhaps nothing else
would. deplored what then thought
was fact that nothing made In Rich
mond bore the distinctive Richmond
stamp.
Thugs Made Here All Right. 1
In day or two the mail brought
me letter from u travelling man who
sharply criticized my Ignorance" and
called my attention to the fact that
there was right here in Richmond n
great manufac turing establishment OF
| ancient vintage that has for many
| years done just exactly the thing that
I was advocating; that is to say, max
ing the YER West kind OF goods in its
line and branding every product of the
mammoth plant "Hichmond," and so
branding II in very big letters TO tho
erd that wherever these goods were
! sold in all of the great Southland coun-t
try the buyers and the users of the
same had Richmond before their eyes
! ali the time.
This letter writer did not ask mo
to take his word for It. but requested
me to go and see for myself. and | did
/ go or course, L knew. as perhaps
everybody else in Richmond knows
that the Richmond Stove Company is
one OF the brag institutions of this
good city. but l did not know, and I
doubt II very many other people in
this good city really know, what an
immense and farreaching establish
ment IL is, and Ii is quite sure that
Very few people who think they know
of the works are aware of the way that
company is advertising Richmond all
over the country, for. be it understood
in the beginning, that every piece Of
! goods that goes out Of that shop has in
one way or another the Richmond
mark ON it, and that mark goes on in
enduring form, for 1t is in iron and
hard to be removed
Strictly Richmond.
The Richmond stove Company Is
strictly a Richmond institution: 1t was
born IN Richmond way yonder before
the war, went through all OF Rich
mond's trials and tribulations. emerged
from the ashes along with Richmond.
and then grew with Richmond, and
helped Richmond to grow the bet
ter years came along: became great
az Richmond became greater. along
with the twentieth century Richmond.
and under the management OF the
bright young men who have succeed
ed their fathers in the good work,
Keeps on growing. This is the con-
Germ that the traveller called my atten-
tion to.
never tire OF telling how tall trees
from little acrons have grown in Vir-
gina, and especially i'll Richmond.
These stories may or may not be in
teresting to the reader. This ono
think viii be interesting. In 1857
snyder * Irby established n little foun-
dry on East Main street, on n little lot
between Twcnty-fifth and Twenty
sixth Streets. and therein commenced
To make stoves OF the kind that were
known III those ancient days.
The business prospered and the
works were enlarged from time to
time 70 meet the demands In the
hsyday OF its prosperity this concern
ran into the war times. but il kept on
fighting for business. The clash and
the disasters OF 1865 almost disrupted
the concern but in little while there
came reorganization. and under vari-
Gus firm names the business was kept
going nj the old stand and kant ar,
growing.
New Men ut the Helm.
In 1870 r. G. Rcnnolds and w. j.
Anderson bought out the snyder -Irby
combination and formed within them
selves a stock company, which has ever
since been known as tho Richmond
stove Company. True to the name. the
new company adopted the idea OF max
ing Richmond famous In the stove
business at least and decided to brand
every product OF the factory with q
Richmond trademark They recls-
oncd Well and il is perhaps II fact that
no concern in this city has made Rich
mond and the name Richmond more
famous in all OF the South than this
concern. They make stoves and ranges
that are superior and every ono OF
them bears the name Richmond. for
Instance the Rchmnod Palace" tho
Richmond Merit" the Richmond
'uca!. the Richmond AuEance, the
Richmond this and that, and aboys
ALL tile Richmond" could not
name all OF the stoves and ranges and
heaters that bear the name In ono way
and another OF Richmond. but IL Is
sufficient 10 say that everything that
goes out OF this Immense factory in
some way or another bears that name.
Thus it happens that this concern.
which sells Richmond made goods air
over the South from Maryland to
Florida. and all over the West from
- -r,I.I I.