Draper & Maynard Co. - Plymouth, NH - New Hampshire Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

In Plymouth, north of the rotary, is a sign about the Draper & Maynard Company.

The sign is located on the west side of the road, next to a multi-story brick building that was the factory.

The sign is a metal sign painted dark with gold painted lettering. The top has a seal that has text stating: "Bridging the Lakes Region and the white Mountains * Plymouth *". The design shows a covered bridge in the center spanning a river, and mountains and clouds in the background. The sign has the general appearance of the official state markers, but this one was put up by the Plymouth Historical Society.

The sign has the following text on both sides:

"Draper & Maynard Co.
1840-1937
-...-
Begun in 1840 as one of Plymouth's buckskin glove manufacturers, it became Draper and Maynard after John Maynard joined Jason Draper in 1881. Baseball gloves were added to its product line in 1884, making it among the world's largest sporting goods manufacturers.

D&M created the first catcher's mitt. At one point more than 80% of major leaguers used D&M gloves, including the G-41 model used by Babe Ruth.

The original D&M burned in 1911 and was replaced by this 4-story structure now preserved and renovated by Plymouth State University.

Plymouth Historical Society"

The facts are backed by a web page on the web site for Plymouth State University. This web page features items in a collection about the company. The site mentioned that the glove was based on a concept by Providence Gray’s shortstop, Arthur Irwin, of a padded glove. They recognized that a padded glove would minimize hand injuries. Over the years, Red Sox players visited the factory, further boosting the reputation of the company.

The factory building is now an art gallery for the university.

Web Site:

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Marker Name: Draper & Maynard Co. Marker Type: Local/Unofficial Marker Location: Plymouth Official Marker Number: Not listed Date Marker Established: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/29/2019 BuckeyeFinnigan visited it