Pin Book, The Howe Manufacturing Company
notes: label: Description
content: Cardboard pin book from The Howe Manufacturing Company; off white background with gold print and design. Printed along top: "The Howe Manf. Co./Birmingham, Connecticut"; Along front: "Pin Book/Best Quality”; Along inner flap: "The Howe Mfg. Co's Patent Pin Book/Patented New York, Apr. 14, 18__”; Along back side: "Improved needle pointed pins/of extra quality and finish/assorted sizes with one row of black." Inside the container are twelve rows of pins stuck into paper, eleven rows of silver pins, and one row of black pins. Cardboard container is very fragile and in fair condition.
label: Description
content: The Howe Manufacturing Company was organized in New York, Dec. 1835, to manufacture pins using Doctor John I. Howe's machines, and he was appointed its general agent. In the winter of 1836, a shop was fitted up and the company in New York commenced making their own machinery, and after a year and a half five machines had been constructed and put into operation for making what was then called the "spun-head pin." Before this, however, one machine had been, changed to make the solid-headed pin. In April 1838, the company, encouraged by Smith and Phelps, removed their manufactory to Birmingham for the advantages of waterpower. The machines then in use were all altered to "solid headers." These were successful for a time but were superseded by others invented by Dr. Howe. He persevered as general manager of his company for thirty-five years or more and made it one of the most lucrative and successful enterprises in town. The officers of this company were: W. Howe, president; Charles E. Atwater, secretary; Wm. E. Downes, treasurer; Truman Piper, general superintendent of the factory. The company on an average employed about thirty hands and turned out annually over one hundred tons of pins.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Marcy Gustafson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1998.0099.01
label: catalog number
content: 1998.0099.01
label: accession number
content: 1998.0099
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Pin Book
label: Object Name
content: Howe pin book
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 1.5 x 4.5 x .75;