Looking for pictures of Champion Machine Shop, Springfield, Oh.

I researched this factory that started in 1852 because I am a 4th cousin on William N. Whiteley side which started one of the largest factory's in the world by the 1880's. They made farm equipment and I would like to see pictures of how they machined parts back then. In books written on the factory it states that some 4000 people were working in several plants owned by Whiteley, Fassler, and Kelly.

Our family didn't tell us about the operation in Ohio. This information was discovered last summer as I had found where Wm. N. Whiteley had made a design of a breech loading rifle in 1850. The articles state that Colt Firearms copied the Whiteley design and patented it in around 1875. What was the design? Whiteley had 42 patents before 1900 on farm tools.

I wish someone in the Springfield, Ohio area could post pictures of any machine shop operations from this period of time. Mr. Kelly formed the Kelly Springfield Tires in the late 1800's. The plant making the farm equipment was bought out by International Harvester just before 1900.

Thanks,

Les Brooks

Maybe you have seen these already.

https://archive.org/details/astandardhistor00pringoog

https://archive.org/stream/astandardhistor00pringoog#page/n271/mode/1up

https://archive.org/stream/astandardhistor00pringoog#page/n275/mode/1up/search/Champion

Scroll down from the above link to see more.

perhaps more in this link
https://archive.org/details/centennialcelebr00spri


Found Here

https://archive.org/search.php?query=Springfield Ohio

Perhaps there may be more information in some of the publications for International Harvester.
https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator:"International+Harvester+Company+of+America"&page=2

Regards,
Jim

...here's all I could find with a quick online search...the material may be out there...but it may take a trip to the area libraries and historical societies...

...Handwritten on the reverse: "International Harvester (Note signs on Buildings)." This photograph shows the International Harvester plant in Springfield, Ohio. On the roof of the large building on the far right, are the fading words "Warder, Bushnell & Glessner Co." The International Harvester Company Plant was located at Buck Creek and Lagonda Avenue. It was a divisional plant manufacturing motor trucks...

...CLICK ON PHOTO...



...and here's the site now...big triangular vacant lot...

Lathefan’s post had reminded me some International Harvester history had been covered here on this forum before.
A search of the forum turned up this thread .
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...history-milwaukee-large-machine-shops-264134/
and this link in it .
Search Results | Wisconsin Historical Society

I searched within for Springfield and found these .
Search Results | Wisconsin Historical Society

Also Searched for Champion

Search Results | Wisconsin Historical Society

Here are some other places you might try contacting some one if there is nothing readily available on line
Search Our Collections

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152420589202079.1073741841.12146842078&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/clarkcountyhistory

SPRINGFIELD FIRE JOURNAL: EAST STREET SHOPS - 1902

I was surprised to discover that Champion had a Canadian Division ,

Toronto Reaper and Mower Co.
Here are some links I found about them ,

https://archive.org/details/cihm_91816
https://books.google.ca/books?id=fB...nepage&q=Toronto Reaper and Mower Co.&f=false

https://books.google.ca/books?id=fB...nepage&q=Toronto Reaper and Mower Co.&f=false
https://archive.org/search.php?query=American+Agriculturist,&page=2


http://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toro...nity_planning/files/pdf/28bathurst_stage1.pdf


Hart Almerrin Massey - The Canadian Encyclopedia

John Doty?s Engine Works: 1881-1895

https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Toronto+Reaper+and+Mower+Co.&start=20


Regards,
Jim

I have some pictures of some of the remaining buildings as they stand today. Most of the factory complex was destroyed by fire. The museum in Springfield is worth a visit:

Clark County Historical Society

I thought I posted pictures on this forum Feb 2014 but have not found them yet. I have them on my computer or memory card. The historical society in Springfield is probably the best place to look for factory pictures concerning the OP's request.

I seem to remember that forage harvesters / forage blowers were brought here from the US ,maybe 30's to 50's period ,I wonder if that Champion would have been related ,although you did say they were taken over by IH way before then.

Thanks for your help. I would like to go up to Springfield, Ohio and study the files. In the 1850 time period most of the machines must have been steam driven or a central shaft running several machines on flat belts. I would like to see pictures of this from some of the shops in the complex shops.

Bret Rochette, Post any pictures of the old buildings and I will put them into my collection for our kid to see and study. The internet has made it easy to find out family history

Sable in midlands, UK their is another link around London of a Whiteley's Dept Store and a city named after the family in honor of this relative. This person was a Wm. Whiteley also and he built a retirement community around 1907 after he was murdered with his Trust Fund money. It is still used today after 100 yrs for anyone that worked for his store.
\
My interest was to find out what he designed in firearms. I have spent over 50 yrs in the gunsmith field and have not found any mentioned of his designs. Whiteley had the ideas of design, Fassler was the machinist, and Kelly was the money man

There are 3 articles about O.S. Kelly of Springfield that turned up when I was searching for portable boiler images for another thread .
Robert T. Rhode Favorite Articles
The files are quite large and I am having trouble right now to see them all but those with newer equipment or a faster connection may have better luck
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bx4w_jRRMBwYVk9WLXJVNjJEOTA/edit

Regards,
Jim

LBrooks said:

Thanks for your help. I would like to go up to Springfield, Ohio and study the files. In the 1850 time period most of the machines must have been steam driven or a central shaft running several machines on flat belts. I would like to see pictures of this from some of the shops in the complex shops.

Bret Rochette, Post any pictures of the old buildings and I will put them into my collection for our kid to see and study. The internet has made it easy to find out family history

Sable in midlands, UK their is another link around London of a Whiteley's Dept Store and a city named after the family in honor of this relative. This person was a Wm. Whiteley also and he built a retirement community around 1907 after he was murdered with his Trust Fund money. It is still used today after 100 yrs for anyone that worked for his store.
\
My interest was to find out what he designed in firearms. I have spent over 50 yrs in the gunsmith field and have not found any mentioned of his designs. Whiteley had the ideas of design, Fassler was the machinist, and Kelly was the money man

Click to expand...

...found this...

"William had always been of an inventive turn
of mind; when a boy he was always making machines
of different kinds and hiding them from me. I re-
member once when he and Amos were taking turn
about feeding the stock. William nearly let the cattle
starve to death his week, while he labored over some
mechanical device.

"After he entered the shop he invented the first
breech loading gun ever invented, and if he had taken
sufficient interest to patent his invention, it would
have been worth millions, as the principle invented
by him, was afterwards improved, perfected, and
patented, by Colt, and the same principle is now
used in connection with every breech loading "Gun,"
"Revolver," "Rifle," and "Shot Gun" in use today.

"In 1853 he made his first machine, a mower,
but it was not of much force. His first successful
machine was made in 1855, and was tried when the
State Fair was held here that year, on what is now
the Thompson Warder farm. He was then only 20
years old.

Click to expand...

...link is HERE

Always had an interest in IHC history so I did some quick research to refresh my brain...

Whitely, Fassler and Kelly failed in 1887, and Warder, Bushnell, and Glessner took it over along with Champion Machine Co. Champion was actually one of the five companies that actually formed International Harvester Co (IHC). The larger McCormick and Deering companies merged with the smaller Champion, Milwaukee, and Plano. It wasn't really a buy out it was a merger of all assets orchestrated by J.P. Morgan Co. McCormick, Deering, and Plano took payment in IHC stock, while Champion took a cash payment for the factories, and stock for their receivables. Milwaukee optioned to take all cash.

Wm. N. Whiteley was quite a character according to some of the stories told about him. He was supposed to be a large ox of a man, a great salesman, and a bit of a hot head. Its said at one time he was demonstrating a reaper with a competitor in the field with him. Not wanting to be shown up he unhitched one of the horses in his team and went on across the field with a single horse. The competitor not wanting to loose any sales did the same which really set Whitely off. Whitely unhitched the last horse and proclaimed I can put the reaper myself. He unhitched the second horse and proceeded to pull the reaper across the field himself.