Upson-Walton Company records

Collection

Identifier: GLMS-0072

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The Upson-Walton Company was a well-respected manufacturer and seller of marine accessories including rope, cable, rigging, sails, tackles, and other marine accessories. The vast majority of the records are ledgers, contract books, inventories, account books, and journals, while a small number of catalogs and other materials are also present. Most records cover 1873-1930, while the catalogs mainly cover the 1940s-1960s.

Dates

Creation: 1873-1970
Creation: Majority of material found within 1873-1930

Extent

.5 Cubic Feet (1 legal manuscript box)

25 Cubic Feet (107 volumes)

Creator

Upson-Walton Company (Organization)

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of mainly financial records of the Upson-Walton Company. Materials include ledgers, sales, account, and contract books spanning the 1870s to the 1910s. There is also one box featuring sales brochures and catalogs for scattered dates from the 190ss to the 1960s. The box also features a single annual reports from 1950, a press release about the sale of the company from 1962, and reminisces about the history of the company written by Upson in 1931. Of special note is a volume of Board of Directors minutes spanning 1893-1918.

Company History

Joseph E. Upson and John W. Walton opened a chandler and grocer business on River Street in Cleveland in 1871. Due to Cleveland's location as a port on the Great Lakes, Cuyahoga River, and Ohio Canal, the Upson-Walton Company was well-positioned to build and expand a marine supply business. The company gradually expanded in to the manufacture and sale of rope, cable, tackle blocks, fitting-out materials, sails, rigging, and other marine accessories. Many 19th century vessels had their sail and rigging work done by the skilled craftsmen of Upson-Walton. The firm invented several types of wire ropes that became widely used for marine applications, especially one designed for towing on the Great Lakes. After ninety years of business in its original building, the Upson-Walton Company was taken over by the Samsel Rope and Supply Company, which closed down the original location. Later, Upson-Walton became part of Muncy Industries, which still retains the Upson-Walton name for manufacturing and branding products.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The core of the Upson-Walton Collection was donated to Bowling Green State University on May 17, 1995, by C. Patrick Labadie, Director of the Canal Park Marine Museum in Duluth, Minnesota. The collection was originally part of the holdings of the Museum. As Upson-Walton was a Cleveland-based company, it was determined that company records would have a better home with the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes. Additions to the collection came from Labadie, as well as William O'Brien, a past Director of the Great Lakes Historical Society.