Stanley Woolen Company

Variant names

Dates:

Active 1887

Active 1986

Biographical notes:

Stanley Woolen Company, located in Uxbridge, Mass., was formed in 1905 upon the liquidation of the Calumet Woolen Co. Arthur Wheelock (1851-1927) and his son Stanley H. Wheelock (b. 1879) purchased the company's Calumet Mill; the American Woolen Co. purchased the company's Hecla Mill, also located in Uxbridge.

The Wheelock family had been involved in the textile industry in Uxbridge since 1810 when Jerry Wheelock (1784-1861) and his father-in-law, Daniel Day, built the town's first woolen mill. Jerry Wheelock left that mill after a few years and in 1834 entered into a partnership with his sons Charles A. Wheelock (1812-1895) and Silas Manderville Wheelock (1818-1901) to manufacture woolens. In 1846 the brothers established the firm C.A. & S.M. Wheelock to manufacture satinets, linseys and tweeds at the firm's Waucantuck mills, but by 1855 this mill was manufacturing fancy cassimeres only. Silas Wheelock founded the Calumet Woolen Company in 1883 to manufacture fancy cassimeres; in 1886 the company purchased the Uxbridge Woolen Factory which became known as the Hecla Mill. Arthur Wheelock, Silas Wheelock's son, worked for Calumet as a director and mill manager.

After the 1905 purchase of the Calumet Mill, Arthur Wheelock was named company president and treasurer and his son Stanley H. Wheelock was named secretary. The mill began to manufacture domestic woolens for men's wear. In 1918 in response to the war effort, it provided the U.S. Army, as well as the French and Italian armies, with over 500,000 yards of cloth. The company sold its product mainly through New York dry goods commissioners and selling agents, with its goods supplied to a variety of clothing manufacturers. The company remained a Wheelock family business until its closing due to bankruptcy in 1989.

In 1968 the Wheelock family formed a new hand-knitting subsidiary, Stanley Berroco. As of 2005, this company is one of the largest importers and wholesalers of hand-knitting yarns, patterns and supplies in the U.S. Its Handeze Glove Div. is the master distributor of the Handeze glove, designed to soothe hand and wrist discomfort experienced by crafters.

From the description of [Business records] 1887-1986 (bulk 1901-1916, 1939, 1945) (American Textile History Museum Library). WorldCat record id: 61677666