Hamilton Emery and Corundum Company - Office - Chester Factory Village Historic District - Chester MA
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nomadwillie
N 42° 17.236 W 072° 59.045
18T E 666203 N 4683640
In 1904, the Hampden Emery & Corundum Co. (later Hamilton Emery & Corundum) purchased the former Keefe bedstead factory on Middlefield Street, tore down all the existing buildings, and erected a new abrasives mills in 1904.
Waymark Code: WM1616Z
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2022
Views: 0
In 1883, Ames found the extraction of local ores to be unprofitable and sold the Chester Emery Co. for a fraction of its worth, closing down the local mines. The new Hampden Emery and Corundum Co., under Dr. Lucas, reopened the mines west of the village in 1890 and kept them open until 1912. In 1904, the Hampden Emery & Corundum Co. (later Hamilton Emery & Corundum) purchased the former Keefe bedstead factory on Middlefield Street, tore down all the existing buildings, and erected a new abrasives mills in 1904, 1908, and 1917. The complex consists of a series of low wood and brick buildings arrayed near the railroad tracks (C-139). At its peak, the abrasives industry employed about 130 men in the village.
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This was the site of the Fay family bedstead factory c.1850, later owned by Timothy Keefe c.1870. About 1901, Frank D. Hamilton, a native of Chester, saw the possibilities in the emery business. He purchased the old Timothy Keefe bedstead plant on Middlefield Street with its excellent water power on the Westfield River. He took down the old buildings and erected the first new one early in 1904 for the Hamilton Emery and Corundum Co. At the same time, he engaged as Superintendent, Timothy N Haley, who had had some fifteen years experience with Nathan Harwood and later with Alden Spears Sons Co. (Mr. Haley took charge of equipping and installing the machinery in the new mill) . During the early years, the mill was run by water power but with the need for more production, a steam plant was installed . A second mill was built in 1908 and a third in 1917. The company used Turkish ore in its manufacturing process.
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