New England Butt Co.

The New England Butt Company, of Providence, R.I., was organized in 1842 by Nicholas A. Fenner and others to manufacture butt hinges (door hinges) of cast iron which up to that time had been imported from England. As the company grew, other types of builders' hardware were added to the product line. In 1853, the company was incorporated under a Rhode Island charter by Nicholas Fenner, Amos C. Barstow, Apollos Richmond and Henry P. Knight who served as its first treasurer and agent.

With the advent of the crinoline in the 1860's, the company began to manufacture braiding machinery which made the continuous cotton braid that covered the wire hoops. In the 1880's, the introduction of cheaper, stamped-metal butts led the company to drop the hardware line. Manufacturing was then devoted exclusively to braiding machinery of all kinds including that for making the covering and insulation for electric wires and cables. The company's foundry created machinery for the manufacture of products such as shoelaces, clotheslines, lamp cords, sash cords, candlewicks, fancy braids, trimmings for wicker furniture, rubber hose, wire rope, and cable for power lines. In addition the company made rubber spreading machinery for hospital sheeting, raincoat material, and machinery for bleacheries and finishers of cotton cloth.

From about 1910 to 1915 the company was the site of time and motion studies by Frank B. Gilbreth, an associate of Frederick W. Taylor (see MS 590 for evidence of Gilbreth's experiments at NEB). In 1949, the Chace family of Rhode Island purchased New England Butt. In 1955, the Wanskuck Co. merged with New England Butt which became a division. At the same time, the Metcalf family sold its Wanskuck holdings to the Chace family of Rhode Island which closed textile operations in 1957 and bought Mossberg Pressed Steel, which became a division. The corporation continued to expand its holdings through the 1960s and 1970s. On Sept. 1, 1982, Wanskuck reorganized as Mossberg Industries, Inc. and New England Butt became a division, continuing to make braiding, wire and cable machinery at its original site. In 1984, Mossberg moved its operations to Cumberland, R.I. and later to Warwick, R.I. Mossberg has since sold its braiding operations to Wardwell Braiding of Central Falls, R.I. and its wire operation to Watson Machinery Intl. of Paterson, N.J.

From the description of [Business records] 1853-1965 (bulk 1940-1959). (American Textile History Museum Library). WorldCat record id: 61678318