Dublin Core
Title
Florence Wagon Works
Subject
Industry
Description
Before the city of Florence, Alabama gained renown for its world famous Florence Wagon Works, the wagon company operated in the area of Atlanta, Georgia. One reason why the company moved to Florence was the infrastructure of industry within the Muscle Shoals region, with about sixty different plants and businesses located in the city of Florence. Dr. Alfred David Bellamy, a New York native and owner of the Atlanta Wagon Company, moved the company to Florence in 1889 when the new buildings for the new Florence Wagon Company were completed in 1888/1889. At the height of the Florence Wagon Works’ production the company manufactured enough wagons to be second in North America behind the Canadian wagon company Studebaker.
In February of 1890, the Florence Wagon Works employed about seventy-five laborers. By October of 1890, the number of employees expanded to 125, then to 160 by 1897. There is a discrepancy in different sources as to how many people Florence Wagon Works employed at its apex, one source says 175 , whereas another says 250. Regardless of the exact numbers, Florence Wagon Works had a serious impact on employment in the Florence area.
Production of the “Light Running” Florence Wagons increased yearly from 1889 into the early twentieth century, to the point where the factory would turn out twenty to twenty-five wagons per day, a very high number for a custom wagon in the pre-assembly line era. At their peak, Florence Wagon Works used an average of two million feet of hardwood per year to produce between ten to fifteen thousand “Light Running” Florence Wagons per year.
The “Light Running” Florence Wagon was a casualty to its era. With the invention of the automobile, including the utilitarian pick-up truck, and the advancement in tractor machinery, the “Light Running” Florence Wagon began to meet its demise in the early twentieth century. The diminished necessity of horse-drawn transportation sent the wagon into decline. The greatest decline in business for the Florence Wagon Works was in the 1920s and 1930s when people were able to buy affordable gasoline powered vehicles in the 1920s and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Florence Wagon Works tried to survive the declining demand for horse-drawn vehicles by turning to building lawn furniture in the 1930s. But the company could not survive and was sold in 1941 to a company from Chattanooga called Trenholm & Starr, Inc. who continued the Florence operation for a short period. Eventually, the new ownership moved all operations to Hickory, North Carolina in 1941, leaving open warehouses at the Florence Wagon Works that were used for the storage of cotton, and thus was the end of Florence Wagon Works in North Alabama. There was hope the deserted factory would be used in World War II for defense purposes, but that never materialized.
In February of 1890, the Florence Wagon Works employed about seventy-five laborers. By October of 1890, the number of employees expanded to 125, then to 160 by 1897. There is a discrepancy in different sources as to how many people Florence Wagon Works employed at its apex, one source says 175 , whereas another says 250. Regardless of the exact numbers, Florence Wagon Works had a serious impact on employment in the Florence area.
Production of the “Light Running” Florence Wagons increased yearly from 1889 into the early twentieth century, to the point where the factory would turn out twenty to twenty-five wagons per day, a very high number for a custom wagon in the pre-assembly line era. At their peak, Florence Wagon Works used an average of two million feet of hardwood per year to produce between ten to fifteen thousand “Light Running” Florence Wagons per year.
The “Light Running” Florence Wagon was a casualty to its era. With the invention of the automobile, including the utilitarian pick-up truck, and the advancement in tractor machinery, the “Light Running” Florence Wagon began to meet its demise in the early twentieth century. The diminished necessity of horse-drawn transportation sent the wagon into decline. The greatest decline in business for the Florence Wagon Works was in the 1920s and 1930s when people were able to buy affordable gasoline powered vehicles in the 1920s and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Florence Wagon Works tried to survive the declining demand for horse-drawn vehicles by turning to building lawn furniture in the 1930s. But the company could not survive and was sold in 1941 to a company from Chattanooga called Trenholm & Starr, Inc. who continued the Florence operation for a short period. Eventually, the new ownership moved all operations to Hickory, North Carolina in 1941, leaving open warehouses at the Florence Wagon Works that were used for the storage of cotton, and thus was the end of Florence Wagon Works in North Alabama. There was hope the deserted factory would be used in World War II for defense purposes, but that never materialized.
Creator
Matthew C. Fesmire, University of North Alabama
Source
Text Sources:
Florence/Lauderdale Public Library. Vertical History File. Local History & Genealogy. Freeman, Lee. “A Brief History of the Florence Wagon Factory.” Florence, Lauderdale County, AL. Florence Wagon Works 2-2.
Florence/Lauderdale Public Library. Vertical History File. Local History & Genealogy. Freeman, Lee. “A Tribute to the Men and Women of the Florence Wagon Works.” Florence, Lauderdale County, AL. Florence Wagon Works 2-2.
McDonald, William L. "Remembering Sweetwater: The Mansions, The Mills, The People." Killen, Ala., Bluewater Publications, 2001.
Picture Source:
UNA Archives & Special Collections. William B. McDonald Collection. “Florence Wagons.” c. 1938, Florence, AL.
Florence/Lauderdale Public Library. Vertical History File. Local History & Genealogy. Freeman, Lee. “A Brief History of the Florence Wagon Factory.” Florence, Lauderdale County, AL. Florence Wagon Works 2-2.
Florence/Lauderdale Public Library. Vertical History File. Local History & Genealogy. Freeman, Lee. “A Tribute to the Men and Women of the Florence Wagon Works.” Florence, Lauderdale County, AL. Florence Wagon Works 2-2.
McDonald, William L. "Remembering Sweetwater: The Mansions, The Mills, The People." Killen, Ala., Bluewater Publications, 2001.
Picture Source:
UNA Archives & Special Collections. William B. McDonald Collection. “Florence Wagons.” c. 1938, Florence, AL.
Publisher
Alabama Cultural Resource Survey
Date
Late Nineteenth Century-Early Twentieth Century
Format
Image