1800

1811

William Hall born.

1818

The New England Glass Co., founded by Deming Jarves and others.

1818

George B. Lothrop born.

1825

c. 1825

Enoch Robinson begins manufacturing door knobs and other hardware, independently and with others, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1825

Enoch Robinson begins association with the New England Glass Co.

1825

Deming Jarves leaves the New England Glass Co.; founds the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co.

1825

Henry Whitney assumes control of the New England Glass Co.

Enoch Robinson & Henry Whitney: “Making glass knobs for doors.”

US Patent No. 4,553X

1826

Robinson & Whitney’s glass press revolutionizes flint glass manufacturing.

1828

Congress passes the Tariff Act.

Prices increase on imported goods and raw materials.

c. 1832

G.W. Robinson, Machinist, Ballard Place

1833

G.W. Robinson, Machinist, 25 Garden.

c. 1833

Enoch Robinson joins Francis Draper, establishes Enoch Robinson & Francis Draper in Boston.

1833

William E. Robinson born.

1833

William Hall marries Elizabeth Lothrop, the sister of George B. Lothrop.

1834

G.W. Robinson, Machinist, 43 Purchase.

1835

G.W. Robinson, Machinist, North Margin.

c. 1835

Enoch Robinson leaves Cambridge for Boston.

1837

G.W. Robinson & Co., 4 Richmond Street.

Enoch, George W., and Ezra B. Robinson manufacture glass door knobs.

1837

Francis (Frank) Draper Robinson is born.

1837

“Enoch Robinson & Francis Draper” changes name to “Francis Draper.”

1839

E. Robinson & Co. established.

1839

January 2: E. Robinson & Co., 32 Dock Square.

1843

William Hall leaves E. Robinson & Co.; founds Wm. Hall & Co., 27 Dock Square, Boston, Mass.

1843

William F. Hall born.

1846

E. Robinson & Co. moves to 4 Washington Street.

Adams Boston Directory: Robinson Steering Apparatus (Advertisement).

1846

1847

MCMA Exhibition at Faneuil and Quincy Halls, Boston. Among the exhibitors are Enoch Robinson, William Hall, and George B. Lothrop.

1849

Mercury glass is patented in England by Edward Varnish and Frederick Hale Thomson of E. Varnish & Co.

1850

c. 1850-1866

George B. Lothrop works with his brother-in-law William Hall at Wm. Hall &. Co.

1850

Henry J. Hall born.

c. 1851

James R. Bugbee becomes partner in E. Robinson & Co.

Improved Lock and Key.

US Patent 8,060

1851

1851

Russell & Erwin founded.

1851

P.F. Corbin Company founded.

1851

Crystal Palace Exhibition, London.

c. 1855

“Francis Draper” changes name to “F. Draper & Co.”

c. 1856

Frederick G. Hall born.

Steering Apparatus

1859

Steering Apparatus

1861

1861

April 12: Civil War starts.

1861

June 28: Joseph Dodge Jewett is born in Lowell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

(d. February 20, 1940).

E. Robinson & Co. Invoice, 1869.

1864

1865

James R. Bugbee, partner with Enoch and William Robinson, leaves E. Robinson & Co.; E. Robinson & Co. changes name to E. Robinson & Son.

1865

Ammi B. Young, in his journal, writes that E. Robinson & Co. “are esteemed the best locksmiths in this country.”

1865

April 9: Civil War ends.

c. 1866

Bugbee & Hollis founded.

1866

George B. Lothrop leaves Wm. Hall & Co.; establishes George B. Lothrop & Co., at 30 Exchange Street.

1867

E. Robinson hardware displayed in Paris at the Exposition Universelle d’Art et d’Industrie.

1868

William E. Robinson dies.

1868

Yale & Towne, founded as Yale Lock Manufacturing Co., in Stamford, Ct.

1869

Deming Jarves dies.

1869

US Patent No. 92,733: Improved Door Knob .

1872

November 9: Great Boston Fire.

1873

G.W. Robinson & Co. sells its buildings at North and Richmond Streets and ceases operation.

1873

E. Robinson & Co. moves to 21 Brattle Street.

Bank-Lock.

1874

1875

1875

William Hall dies, leaving Wm. Hall & Co to his sons William F., Henry, and Fred.

Improvement in Latches for Doors, Etc.

1875

1875

July 21: Linwood Stanton Hall is born in Rockland, Maine.

1876

January 26: The Northampton National Bank Heist.

Largest bank robbery in US history; this and other robberies drives the adoption of combination time locks.

Improvement in Latches for Doors.

1877

1877

September 14: Second US Patent Office fire.

1879

Wm. Hall & Co. moves to 4 Dock Square.

1881

Fourteenth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association.

Enoch Robinson is awarded a diploma and a silver medal for door and furniture trimmings, for new designs and superior workmanship..

1883

John Tein Co. founded.

c. 1883

Wm. Hall opens factory at 82 Sudbury Street in Wollaston (Quincy), Mass.

Willam F. Hall: “Door-Knob Attachment.”

US Patent No. 278,704

1883

1883

May 18: Walter Gropius is born.

1888

February 11: Enoch Robinson dies; his son Albert takes over the company.

c. 1888

E. Robinson & Co. moves to 39–41 Cornhill.

Polished Brass Furniture Trimmings.

1888

Catalogue and Price List of Polished Brass Furniture Trimmings.

1888

Artistic Hardware, Manufactured by Enoch Robinson.

1889

c. 1890

Joseph Jewett sets up shop at 19 Pearl Street.

c. 1891

Walter Vaughan joins Joseph Jewett at 19 Pearl Street.

Spring-Hinge

1893

1893

Chicago World’s Fair; attended by Walter and Etta Vaughan on their honeymoon.

1894

George B. Lothrop dies.

1894

July 13: Walter Stafford Vaughan is born in Cambridge, Mass. to Walter Clifton Vaughan and Mosetta Isabella Stafford.

1895

Joseph D. Jewett and Walter C. Vaughan form “copartnership” under the name J.D. Jewett & Co.

1895

J.D. Jewett & Co. moves from 19 Pearl Street to 168 Washington Street, near Dock Square.

E. Robinson & Co. Envelope.

1897

Glass Knobs.

1897

1899

Francis Draper Robinson dies.

1900

c. 1900

E. Robinson & Co. hires L. Stanton Hall.

Enoch Robinson Letterhead, with Drawer Pull Design.

c. 1900

E. Robinson & Co. Invoice.

1900

1901

G.N. Wood & Co. founded.

1902

May 29: J.D. Jewett Co., successor to J.D. Jewett & Co., is incorporated, with Joseph Jewett as president and Walter Vaughan as secretary.

1902

Marcel Breuer is born.

1903

July 9: Fire at J.D. Jewett Co.’s store at 168 Washington Street causes several thousand dollars damage.

1905

G.N. Wood & Co. acquires E. Robinson & Co.

1905

February 14: Albert Murray Robinson dies.

Catalogue No. 2 - Glass Knobs.

1906

Supplement No. 2 - Hinge Plates.

c. 1907

Catalogue No. 3 - Outside Door Trimmings.

1907

1907

Collapse of the Knickerbocker Trust Company of 1907; financial panic of 1907.

1908

December 31: Elmer Hale Pratt is born.

c. 1909

Joseph Jewett and Walter Vaughan end their partnership; Walter Vaughan assumes control of the J.D. Jewett Co.

1909

October 15: The J.D. Jewett Co. is formally renamed the W.C. Vaughan Co.

c. 1911

L. Stanton Hall establishes L.S. Hall & Co. at 4 Alden Street.

Catalogue No. 4 - Glass Knobs.

1911

Catalogue No. 5 - Outside Door Trimmings.

1912

1913

Revenue Act of 1913 reduces tariff rates; removes tariffs completely from iron, steel, and other raw materials

.

1914

Fire destroys L.S. Hall & Co.’s shop at Alden Street. Loss: $10,000.

1914

World War I begins.

c. 1915

L.S. Hall & Co. acquires G.N. Wood & Co. (formerly E. Robinson & Co.).

“William Hall Company” Sweets Architectural Catalogue.

1916

Catalogue No. 6 - Glass Knobs.

1916

c. 1918

L.S. Hall & Co. moves to 1 & 2 Haymarket Square.

c. 1918

The W.C. Vaughan Co. acquires L.S. Hall & Co.

L. Stanton Hall stays on as shop superintendent.

1918

November 11: The W.C. Vaughan Co. moves from 168 Washington Street to L.S. Hall’s shop at Haymarket Square on Armistice Day.

1918

World War I ends.

1918

September 12: L. Stanton Hall registers for the draft.

1919

January 15: The Great Molasses Flood.

The Purity Distilling Company tank explosion demolishes structures, injures 150, and kills 21.

Harmon Hinge No 806

c. 1920s

1920

Henry J. Hall dies.

1921

W.C. Vaughan acquires Wm. Hall & Co.

1921

Ostrander & Eshleman, Inc. founded; exclusive representative of G. & R. Bricard of Paris; distributors of Yale & Towne.

“Colonial Forge and Foundry.”

c. 1920s

1924

Walter and Etta Vaughan visit Stafford Vaughan in Rome; Walter collects medieval ironwork and hardware.

1925

1925

William F. Hall dies.

1925

Frederick G. Hall dies.

1926

W.C. Vaughan acquires building at 3–7 Havervill, which houses its forge, foundry, manufacturing, and shipping departments.

c. 1926

Elmer Hale Pratt joins the Boston Architectural Club; works as draftsman for Perry, Shaw, and Hepburn.

1929

Elmer Hale Pratt joins W.C. Vaughan as a draftsman.

1929

Wall Street crash; start of the Great Depression.

c. 1933-1941

Stafford Vaughan joins Ostrander & Eshleman, solidifying partnership with the W.C. Vaughan Co.

1934

Depth of the Great Depression.

1934

Walter Gropius flees Germany for London.

Stafford Vaughan designs W.C. Vaughan’s lever handle 637, later used on the front door of the Gropius house.

c. 1935

1936

Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer arrive in Cambridge, Mass. at the invitation of Joseph Hudnut, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Under Elmer Pratt’s direction, W.C. Vaughan Co. introduces Lucite door pulls.

c. 1937

The W.C. Vaughan Co., Manufacturer

1937

June 29: L. Stanton Hall dies.

W.C. Vaughan provides hardware for Life Magazine’s “Life Houses.”

1938

The W.C. Vaughan Co., Manufacturer

1939

W.C. Vaughan acquires the John Tein Co.

1939

New York World’s Fair, the “World of Tomorrow”; W.C. Vaughan supplies hardware for exhibitions including the Argentine Pavilion and Gropius and Breuer’s Pennsylvania State Exhibition.

1939

World War II begins.

Wrought Iron Hardware.

c. 1940s

Colonial Hand-Forged, Wrought Iron Hardware.

c. 1940

1940

Plastics, 1940.

Exhibition organized by Robert Woods Kennedy at the Boston Institute of Modern Art

1940

February 20: Joseph Dodge Jewett dies.

c. 1941

Stafford Vaughan leaves Ostrander & Eshleman, joins the W.C. Vaughan Co.

1941

The US enters World War II.

c. 1941

Elmer Pratt joins the Massachusetts State Guard.

W.C. Vaughan manufactures torpedo parts for the war effort.

c. 1942

The W.C. Vaughan Co., Manufacturer

c. 1942

Elmer Pratt draws illustrations for a series of books about military weapons.

1943

Walter Vaughan retires; divides shares in W.C. Vaughan between Stafford Vaughan and Elmer Pratt.

1943

Stafford Vaughan becomes president of W.C. Vaughan.

1945

September 2: World War II ends.

1945

Walter Gropius forms TAC (The Architects Collaborative) with Norman Fletcher, John Harkness, and others.

1950

Vaughan Hardware, Catalog No. 26

c. 1950

Causy House

Wakefield, RI

1950

1951

W.C. Vaughan loses 1 Haymarket Square to eminent domain; moves to 32–36 Pitts Street.

Catalog 34R: Vaughan Clearview

c. 1950s

Catalog 45: Emergency Exit Lock.

c. 1950s

1957

The Boston Redevelopment Authority forces W.C. Vaughan’s move from Pitts Street to 77 Washington Street North.

Vaughan Hardware.

c. 1960s

The Oldest House (González-Alvarez House)

St. Augustine, FL

1960

The W.C. Vaughan Co., Manufacturer

1964

Stafford Vaughan retires; Elmer Pratt becomes president of W.C. Vaughan.

National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Emmitsburg, MD

1965

The W.C. Vaughan Co., Manufacturer

St. Matthew’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church

Charleston, SC

1965

The W.C. Vaughan Co., Manufacturer

"Smoke Screen Doors Hinged to Pocket".

1966

1967

Walter Stafford Vaughan dies.

1969

Walter Gropius dies.

Catalog No. 72: Classic Sample Collections.

c. 1970s

Catalog No. 64R.

c. 1970

Vaughan Clearview

Price Sheet #1 Applying to Catalog #34R

1970

Vaughan Hardware

List Price Book No. 1

c. 1970

Emergency Exit Lock #1636

1970

Cover Letter.

1970

1975

Vaughan Hardware

Classic Collections

c. 1970s

1979

Elmer Pratt retires.

1981

Redstone Modern acquires the W.C. Vaughan Co.

1981

Marcel Breuer dies.

1986

Elmer Pratt’s nephew Glenn Albert Pratt, former vice president of W.C. Vaughan, purchases the company from Redstone Modern and re-establishes the business in Braintree, Mass.

1986

Elmer Hale Pratt dies in Brookline, MA.

1992

E.R. Butler & Co. acquires Ostrander & Eshleman.

1993

E.R. Butler & Co. receives award form the American Institute of Architects (San Diego Chapter) for the Neurosciences Institute at the Scripps Research Institute, “in recognition of the outstanding contribution in design.”

1995

TAC ceases operation.

1999

E.R. Butler & Co. acquires the Quincy Manufacturing Co.

2000

2000

E.R. Butler & Co. acquires the W.C. Vaughan Co.

Harrison Gray Otis House II

Boston, MA

2011

Charles Bulfinch, Architect (Historical)

2012

May 7: Rhett Butler, of E.R. Butler & Co., receives the Arthur Ross Award for Artisanship from the Institute for Classical Architecture & Art.

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