|
The Pennsylvania Match Factory was organized in 1898 by Col. W. Fred Reynolds, along with J. L. Montgomery and P. B. and F. W. Crider. The company produced wooden, "strike-anywhere" matches. Later the safety match became a product.
On Sept. 23, 1914, firemen battled one of the town's largest blazes. It started in the lumber yard of the Match Co. at Sunnyside in the northwest section of town. Five houses, buildings owned by American Lime, rolling stock in the PRR freight yard and 3 million board feet of white pine went up.
The Diamond Match Co. bought the Pennsylvania Match Co. in 1923, and eventually merged with the Federal Match Co.
In 1947, after 49 years of operation, the match factory was closed. The company suffered from the dwindling demand for wooden matches as electric ranges, self-contained lighters, and paper matches became more popular.
|
|
