Pioneer History by Richard C. Schmal
Did the Fuller Brush Company Ever Have a Factory in the Town of Lowell?
(from the July 1, 2008, Lowell Tribune, page 4)- The answer to the question in the headline is "no" . . . but a line of household brushes and brooms very similar to those of the Fuller Company were made for a few years at Lowell in the 1920's and 30's by the Dearborn Mfg. Company at Chicago, IL. The Lowell plant was in an old frame building in the east 100 block of Main Street, near the bridge over Cedar Creek and near the sites of the old Halsted mills of the 1800's and the old north swimming hole.
The Old Timer worked there in the 1920's (37 cents per hour). John Singleton was the Superintendent from the Chicago office. The "boss" was Thomas Yeater, millwright, foreman and blacksmith, who lived in a house still standing on Halsted Street. Some workers claimed that when his temper was up, a small sledge hammer flew overhead. He rang a bell each work day at the 4 o'clock quitting time. If his little brown dog, "Beezer," thought that he was late, the animal would bark and cause a commotion in disgust.
There was an overhead power shaft, approximately 100 feet long, powered by a large electric motor, with many belt pulleys and clutches to operate the many machines below for wire cutting and bending, grinders, lathes, presses, sewing machines and more. Turkey feather dusters were made on a foot-operated spindle . . . not a pleasant job if the operator has hay fever! Sewing machines were used to make a canvas "car mitten mop."
The Dearborn Mfg. Company became a victim of the Great Depression in 1937. The old frame building stood empty for a time until it was remodeled for an implement business operated by William Logan, who sold Allis-Chalmers farm equipment until a fire destroyed the building. The more modern, sturdy building now standing on the site of the old factory houses the Don Huseman Excavation Company with offices at the Lump building, 112 Mill Street.
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