General Publications

Millers Falls Dyno-mite magazine cover

An article in the company's employee magazine that provides a short history of the Millers Falls Company. It is especially good on the earliest years of the firm. Among the illustrations that accompany the article are three views of the plant in Millers Falls, a photo of the company baseball team in 1888, group photos of brace assemblers and office workers, and a view of the Polishing Room in 1903.


cover of Scientific American, March 22, 1879

One of a series of short articles profiling American manufacturers. Nine paragraphs long, it gives a brief description of the exemplary aspects of the Millers Falls plant's operation. Illustrations of tools and scenes from inside the factory are featured on the cover.

A delightful if brief look at the operation during the early days; the illustrations alone justify the effort required to examine the issue in its original paper format.


Brace bits magazine

A management newsletter of several months duration. Contains reports from the various departments, the New York sales office and the satellite plants. Includes short biographical profiles of key employees. The image of the cover seen here is courtesy of the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage in Greenfield, Massachusetts.


Millers Falls Company cast iron hand

Not a publication, but certainly a promotional item. One of two such hands that the author has seen over a thirty-five year period. The other was painted silver. The palm does not cup enough for the hand to serve as an ashtray, so the object was most likely intended as a repository for calling cards. The brass plate attached at the wrist is embossed with the star-and-trapezoid trademark that the company used between 1914 and 1920.


Millers Falls Company centennial newspaper

Title from cover. Published as a special supplement to the local newspaper, the Greenfield record, gazette and courier. Over one half of the content consists of advertising taken out by local businesses to congratulate the Millers Falls Company on its century of existence. None the less, contains a good deal of historical information—most of it accurate and well written. Has especially good coverage of the company for the middle years of the twentieth century. Important for researchers.


Millers Falls Dyno-mite magazine cover

Description based on: May 1944. A magazine for Millers Falls employees, published until at least 1967. Consists, for the most part, of gossip, family news items, and safety information. Divided into two parts, one for the Millers Falls plant and one for Greenfield, the issue pictured here consists of 35 pages.


anti-Millers Falls Company pamphlet

Title from cover. A scathing critique, from the worker's point of view, of the company's business practices during late 1960s and early 1970s. Issued shortly after the company's president announced a move from Greenfield was under consideration. The plant was indeed abandoned, but only after a cooperative effort by local officials and Massachusetts state government resulted in the construction of a new plant in nearby South Deerfield.


Millers Falls factory, 1879

Volume two is notable for the bird's eye view of the plant as it appeared in 1879. Although little information about the company is given, the firm receives a mention on page 628 of volume two and a one paragraph description on page 770. This set is useful in getting a feel for the scale and number of small manufactories in western Massachusetts and of their importance to their communities.


Millers Falls Company factory floor plans, 1915

A puff piece written by a “special correspondent,” nonetheless containing a substantial amount of information for anyone studying the Millers Falls Company. The article traces the history of the company from its founding in 1868. Included are portraits of some major officers and schematic drawings of the plant layout that detail the use of each building. Activities are broken out on a floor-by-floor basis. A must-read for those interested in the history of the company. This image, one of the drawings, is taken from photocopy of the original.


Millers Falls Company centennial ash tray

As odd as it may seem, this souvenir tray, which features a number of articles about the centennial of the Millers Falls Company, is a resource for a study of the company's history. Printed to resemble the front page of the August 1, 1968, Greenfield Recorder Gazette and Courier, the tray contains articles about the centenary and the company's place in the consumer tool market. It also features a photo of Company president Otis E. Brown, who erroneously forecasts unparalleled growth for the company. A query to a library holding the Greenfield Recorder Gazette and Courier reveals there is no corresponding issue for August 1, 1968. Can be read by a person of average eyesight without a magnifying glass.


Patented transitional and metallic planes in America

The second volume of Smith's landmark work, pages 264-283 contain information on the Millers Falls Company. Includes a chronology of the company's history, a reproduction of the hand plane section from the 1935 catalog, photos of planes and more.


Stackpole chuck, drawing

Cover title. In 1876, the Millers Falls Company sued W. A. Ives & Co. charging infringement on the July 8, 1872 auger handle patent of James M. Horton and the January 14, 1868 improved bit stock patent of Charles H. Amidon. At issue were the Ives Novelty, the Centennial, the Centennial Novelty and the Ives braces. This document consists of Thurston's defense of Ives' right to market the braces and includes well-executed drawings of the Horton auger handle, the Stever chuck, the Meridian Cutlery chuck, the Ives Novelty chuck, the Ives Centennial chuck, the 1868 Amidon chuck, the Stackpole chuck, the Goodell chuck, the Bartholomew chuck, the Ives Centennial Novelty chuck and the Ives chuck. The drawings are not the ones seen on the original patent documents for these items and are exceptionally clear and well done. The image provided is from a photocopy of one of the illustrations.


Millers Falls Company tools pamphlet, cover

There were at least 106 issues in this series. Pictured here is the only issue with which the author is familiar. It was published about 1912 and consists of a single folded sheet. The target audience appears to have been that of hardware dealers. Featured in this example are a boring machine, the No. 42 ball bearing coping saw and the No. 41 automatic screwdriver. Much is made of the fact that a No. 41 screwdriver had driven the equivalent of one hundred thousand 1 1/2 inch screws without visible signs of wear.


Millers Falls Company employee manual, cover

Title from cover. Description based on issue for 1952. A guide to company policies for the firm's employees. Includes a small, error-riddled historical section, photos of the Millers Falls and Greenfield plants and an organization chart. This example was the property of employee Arthur Chappell.


Millers Falls Company employee manual 1940s, cover

Title from cover. Description based on issue for September 1942. A guide to company policies for employees, it includes a section called General Rules. Three of these rules are worthy of note:


Millers Falls Company employee newsletter

A management newsletter that presented employees with a fair amount of information about the company. Includes quarterly statistics on sales, descriptions of how events in the larger world were impacting workers, news of improved processes, and feature articles.