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Beal & Torrey Shoe Co
Established 1904 in Watertown
1904, established
Orbit, Watertown High
School, 1921
Scarcely
had the guns of the Civil War ceased firing when two young men from
Massachusetts, E. F. Beals and I. G. Mann (the former a wounded and discharged
soldier) stopped off in Milwaukee looking for a satisfactory location for a
shoe jobbing house. Milwaukee seemed to impress the young men as being the
place they were looking for, and they at once completed arrangements for a
store at
At
this time the firm opened a factory where were manufactured men's work shoes
and women's turned shoes, both high and low cut. This factory was in a building occupying the
site of what became Child's Restaurant on
In the
early days of the firm its goods were sold in Wisconsin, northern Iowa and
southern Minnesota, E. F. Beals and J. L. Beals covering the territories twice
a year mostly by team. Goods sold on the spring trip were collected in the
fall, and those sold in the fall were paid for in the spring. In 1897 the business had so developed that it
was deemed advisable to incorporate, and so in the spring of that year the
corporation known as Beal & Torrey Shoe Company came into existence.
In
1904 a desire which E. F. Beals had long been possessed of was consummated and
the company erected its own factory at Watertown. For a short time the same class of goods was
manufactured in the new factory as had been in the old, but after the death of
E. F. Beals in 1906 the new management decided on making a radical change, and
devoted the entire effort of the factory
to the production of Men's Fine Goodyear Welt Shoes.
Those in active
control of the business since 1906 are:
F. E. Beals ..........President
J. H. Pratt
............Vice-President
J. G. Hafemeister ....Treasurer
R. W. Tait ............Secretary
F. W. Pfeifer
..........Superintendent
Under
their regime the business so increased that it became evident a larger factory
was necessary, but before plans could be carried into effect the war came on
and building operations had to be laid aside. As soon as permitted to do so
work was commenced on a modern factory, up-to-date in every respect and its
completion was reached early in 1920.
This
factory has a capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 pairs a day and is known as
Beals-Pratt Shoe Manufacturing Company.
The company is now covering the entire United States and also includes
in its territory, Cuba, Mexico and Central America.
1904 06 24
The
Beal & Torrey Shoe Co. of Milwaukee has decided to remove their
manufacturing plant to this city. The officers of the Watertown Advancement
Association have been negotiating with the company for some time and finally
closed a deal with them last week. A cash bonus of $8000 will be given the
company, and they will erect a plant here to cost $30,000, and as soon as it is
completed 100 men and 50 women will be put to work.
Milwaukee Street Bridge with Beal & Torrey in
distance, c 1913
The
factory will be built on a piece of land just northwest of Milwaukee Street
bridge. It is to be four stories high, 200 feet long and about 60 feet wide.
Mayor
Wertheimer and Fred A. Hoffmann, the soliciting committee, are at present
taking subscriptions from our business men and others and it is hoped they will
be generously dealt with. This company will from the start pay out about $1 000
a week in wages, which will be of great benefit to Watertown.
John Buckley
of Emmet has signed $20 to the enterprise, taking an interest in our city
because it is his market town and he wants to see it prosperous. We want more
John Buckleys in and around Watertown to give a good active boom on this city.
1904 11 08
The shoe
factory at West Milwaukee and Water streets, completed for the Beal &
Torrey Shoe Company of Milwaukee, will be in operation about December 1 and
employ about 125 persons.
The
factory is of brick, four stories in height. It is 150 feet long and 41 feet
wide, with an additional boiler room and coal bunker at the north end, together
with a steel water tank, seventy feet from the ground, which will be used in
the operation of an automatic sprinkler system in case of fire. There are 225
windows in the building and gas and electricity have been installed, the latter
to be used for power. It will be heated by steam. The building is constructed
with a view to perfect sanitation and comfort of employees.
The
cost of construction was about $30,000.
C. Huenefeld of this city was the contractor and the workmanship
throughout is of the best character. F.
L. Lindsa, was the architect.
1904 07 12
Saturday
morning the writer visited the Beals & Torrey Shoe Co's factory and was surprised
at the amount of work performed and the exceeding friendliness of the factory
in each and every department. The factory is located at the corner of Milwaukee
and Water streets, is built of white brick, and there stories above the
basement and is an imposing structure and a credit to both the company and the
city.
At the
present time over one hundred and twenty-five hands are employed in the
factory, and footwear for men women, youths and children are manufactured,
there being several grades of each, running from the common up to the very
finest shoes being made, such as any lady or gentleman would wear with the
satisfaction of knowing that they were well shod. The daily out-put is 800
pairs each working day, each passing through the several departments and
finally and lastly to the polishing department under Foreman Devine, where they
are finished for the trade.
The
machinery in use is of the latest, and is a marvel of the ingenuity of man, and
many of the machines work as if possessed of intelligence, which one can watch
with interest by the hour. The wages paid monthly amounts to a large sum and is
a great help to the city in furnishing employment for many people at good wages
which are promptly paid.
1908
08 07 Beals & Torrey fire alarm box 36. WG
10 02 GORDER FACTORY
RENTED. Wm.
Gorder has leased his factory in First [Water?] Street, just vacated by the
M. D. Wells Shoe Co., to the Van Camp Packing Co.,
receiving $600 a year rental. The Van
Camp Co. intended enlarging their factory in Milford Street, but for the
present will not do so, but will use the Gorder factory for storage purposes,
there being no room in their factory for that purpose. WG
1909 M. D. Wells Company, Mastiff
Shoe Factory, Watertown, 1909
Cross-References:
Beal & Torrey
building became site for Kusel Dairy Equipment
