The firm of Hoopes, Bro. & Darlington was founded by the brothers Thomas and William Hoopes on their farm about a mile northwest of West Chester, Pa. in 1866. Initially, they manufactured spokes for wagon wheels from local timber. In 1869 they established a factory in West Chester proper and within three years were manufacturing complete wooden wheels. In time it became the largest establishment of its kind east of the Allegheny Mountains.
By 1893 the firm was producing 40,000 sets of wheels a year. In 1898 it installed an automatic bending machine. At its peak, the factory employed between 175 and 200 workers. As the automobile began to replace horse-drawn vehicles, the company moved into the production of wooden-spoked car wheels, but around 1920 it refused to convert to the manufacture of steel-rimmed wheels. The company continued to occupy a specialty niche, relying in part on its proximity to the Amish country, where carriages were still common. It remained a small family business, most notable for being the last wooden wheel manufacturer in America. The firm was down to 17 employees by 1972, and closed in the mid-1970s. It also tried to expand into the manufacture of skis, toboggans and baseball bats.
From the description of Records, 1868-1959. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122503477
