Pennsylvania Match Company
The abandoned Match Factory prior to the APS purchase
Pennsylvania Match Company is located in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Match Company
Pennsylvania Match Company is located in the United States
Pennsylvania Match Company
Location367 Phoenix Ave., Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°54′33″N 77°47′1″W / 40.90917°N 77.78361°W / 40.90917; -77.78361
Area5.8 acres (2.3 ha)
Built1900
ArchitectRobert Cole
NRHP reference No.01000954[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 7, 2001
Designated PHMCJune 26, 2004[2]

The Pennsylvania Match Company, known locally as the Match Factory, was founded in 1899 by Col. W. Fred Reynolds, Joseph L. Montgomery and S. A. Donachy with $200,000 of their own money.

History and notable features

Mr. Donachy owned several patents for match-making machinery and worked as superintendent for the match company Hanover & York prior to their sale.[3]

A 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) brick building was constructed in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania and production began in 1900. By 1911, the company was one of the eight largest producers of wooden matches in the US.

At its peak during World War II, the factory employed almost 400 workers and merged with Universal Match Corporation. According to the Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association, the business "closed in 1947 due to competition from book matches and cigarette lighters."[4][5]

The red brick buildings were then purchased by lumber and building supply company M. L. Claster & Sons for their General Offices and Bellefonte storage, adding to adjacent land they already owned.[6] After Clasters was sold to YBC in 1997,[7] the site stood vacant for several years until the American Philatelic Society, looking for more space at lower cost,[8] purchased the complex in 2002, renovated the largest building and relocated from State College.

The society then refurbished the adjacent structure, making space available for other commercial tenants, and stated their intention to eventually rehabilitate the remaining buildings.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ "AN INDEPENDENT MATCH PLANT; Bellefonte (Penn.) Business Men Will Oppose the Trust" (PDF). New York Times. 1899-09-30. p. 9.
  4. ↑ "Virtual walking tour of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania". Retrieved 2009-02-03.
  5. ↑ "Historic Bellefonte". Victorian Bellefonte. 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
  6. ↑ "Sucker Stick Factory" (PDF). bellefonte.net. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  7. ↑ "History of YBC". www.ybconline.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  8. ↑ Kerstetter, Rich (2000-08-24). "Stamp Society Pursues Purchase of Former Bellefonte, Penn., Match Factory". Centre Daily Times.
  9. ↑ "American Philatelic Research Library". Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.