Henry Disston & Sons.

Henry Disston & Sons, Inc., was a major manufacturer of saws and other woodworking tools and one of the largest industries in Philadelphia.

Henry Disston, the founder of the firm, was born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, in 1819 and emigrated with his father to Philadelphia in 1833. His father died soon after, and Henry was apprenticed to Lindley, Johnson & Whitcraft, saw manufacturers. The firm failed in the depression in 1840, and young Disston took the tools and stock in lieu of back wages and established his own shop. Disston introduced the Sheffield practice of using crucible steel with the assistance of skilled workers imported from the Sheffield district. Disston produced the first crucible saw steel manufactured in the U.S. in 1855. A rolling mill was added in 1862.

Hamilton Disston, Henry's eldest son, joined the firm in 1865 as Henry Disston & Son. Albert Disston joined in 1870. In 1872 a fire destroyed a large portion of the original factory, and Disston gradually moved the entire operation to Tacony on the Delaware River in the northeast part of Philadelphia County. Here Disston also built substantial houses for his employees, a school, library, and music hall. The firm remained under the control of Henry Disston's extended family after his death in 1878. It was incorporated in 1886. It gained an international reputation for the quality of its products, its skilled work force, and its ability to respond quickly to the demands of a competitive market.

The firm remained under the control of the Disston family until the mid-1950s when it became a division of the H.K. Porter Company, Inc., of Pittsburgh. It became independent again in 1972, and a successor company still manufactures saws in custom lots on the site.

From the description of Patent and design drawings for saws, 1835-1875. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122392829