Bruce County Furniture History in the Archives
Bruce County’s furniture industry has a long and significant history. What began with individual craftsmen in the early years of settlement grew into a network of companies that shaped the local economy and the daily lives of families across the region.
The Bruce County Archives receives inquiries from people across Canada seeking information about their family heirloom furniture made in Bruce County and the individuals and companies behind these pieces.
Resources preserved in the Archives help tell this story and support ongoing research into the County’s furniture making heritage. This article Sharing Bruce County’s Furniture Making Heritage provides more information about the type of furniture industry materials preserved in the Archives.
To further strengthen this collection, the Archives welcomes donations of additional catalogues and business records from Bruce County furniture companies. The lists below outline current gaps in the Collection and invite community members to consider contributing materials for long term preservation and public access.
Contact us
- Archives@brucecounty.on.ca
- Archives & Research Room : 226-909-2890
Help Strengthen the Furniture Company Collection
The Bruce County Archives holds a relatively small number of catalogues, price lists, and promotional materials for these Bruce County furniture companies. We welcome donations that help expand and strengthen the historical record and stories for the businesses listed below.
American Rattan Company
In 1897 Dr. Lauchlin Sinclair and wife Julia Ann Sinclair sold part of lots 14 and 15, south of the Durham Road and west of Victoria Street (Walkerton) to American Rattan Company of Toronto. The American Rattan Company Limited produced items such as chairs and baby buggies which were shipped to all parts of Canada and the United States. American Rattan Company Limited became Canada Furniture Manufacturers Limited in 1900, taking over all land holdings of the company.
Anderson & Co. Chair Manufacturers / Anderson Furniture / Walkerton Chair Factory, Walkerton
Oliver G. Anderson established his furniture business in 1895 in Walkerton, later expanding operations to Woodstock.
The Bruce County Archives holds an envelope with Anderson & Co. Chair Manufacturers letterhead and welcomes donations of any additional catalogues, photographs, or business records related to this business.
Bell Furniture Company Ltd., Southampton
For information about Bell Furniture, view this article: Bell Furniture Company Ltd.
The Archival Collection would benefit from the donation of additional business records, catalogues, or price lists produced by the Bell Furniture Company, excluding those already in the Collection: 1909, 1919, 1922, and these two undated catalogues
Bogdon & Gross Furniture Company Ltd. / BG Furniture, Walkerton
A brief overview of Bogdon & Gross Furniture is available here: Bogdon & Gross Furniture Co. Ltd.
The Archives is seeking additional business records, promotional materials, and catalogues or price lists from this company dated between 1938 and the 2010s, excluding the two catalogues already in the collection, dated around 2003 and 2016.
Canada Beds, Chesley
The Canada Beds catalogue no. 2, 1914, notes M.A. Halliday as president and G.N. Giffin as the managing director.
Donations to the Bruce County Archives of other business records, catalogues or price lists would assist us in preserving the history and impact of this company.
Chesley Furniture Company / Chesley Manufacturing Company
The Chesley Furniture Company, founded in 1907 with a focus on table production, later operated as Chesley Manufacturing Company Limited. By 1948, the firm was producing fine furniture until its closure in 1959.
The Bruce County Archives welcomes donations of business records or catalogues from this company, with the exception of the 1908, 1911, 1954 catalogues and undated red folder of sales sheets (A2010.055.006) already held in the Collection.
Coombe Furniture Company, Kincardine
A brief overview of this company is available in the linked article: Coombe Furniture Co. Ltd.
In addition to some early photographs of the factory and employees, the Bruce County Archives holds seniority lists (1964 and 1969) and an undated sales catalogue.
The collection would benefit from additional business records, catalogues, or price lists produced by the company.
Fitton-Parker Furniture, Southampton
For information about this company, see: Fitton-Parker Furniture Ltd.
The collection would benefit from business records, photographs, promotional materials, and catalogues or price lists dated:
- between 1937 and 1954
- 1955 (if in better condition than catalogue in Collection)
- 1959
- 1961 (if in better condition than catalogue in Collection)
- 1962, 1963, 1965, or 1967
Hay Furniture, Walkerton
Hay Furniture was operated by James Hay in Walkerton in the early years of settlement. He sold the business to Oliver G. Anderson in 1895. Hay re-established a Hay and Company firm in 1897, which was sold in 1945 to U.S. Plywoods (Weldwood Division), which later closed in 1970.
Donations of catalogues, photographs or records related to these businesses would be welcomed by the Bruce County Archives.
Hepworth Manufacturing Co. – Hepworth; Hepworth Furniture Company Ltd., Southampton; The Chalet Shoppe, Hepworth
This company produced bedroom suites, sideboards, tables, and game boards, employing many residents in Hepworth until relocating to Southampton in 1937, when it took over the Knechtel furniture factory building on Morpeth Street, west of Albert Street (Highway 21). It later specialized in affordable bedroom and dinette furniture before closing in 1974. Visit the Hepworth Furniture Company fonds description for more information.
The Bruce County Archives welcomes donations of business records and additional catalogues and price lists from:
- The Chalet Shoppe: any issue except the 1971 catalogue already held.
- Hepworth Manufacturing Co.: any catalogues aside from the 1906 and undated #12 and #14 catalogues already held.
- Hepworth Furniture Co. Ltd.: any catalogues other than these already in the Collection:
- undated no. 38 (AX2014.014.004)
- undated (AX 2014.014.003)
- Undated sales sheets (A2017.057.002)
- 1952 and 1963 sales folders (A2010.055.003 and 005)
- 1978
Knechtel Wood Turning Company and S.M. Knechtel Chair Company, Southampton
Knechtel Wood Turning and Furniture Company operated on the Albert Street (Highway 21) property now used by the Southampton Market until around 1906.
S.M. Knechtel Chair Company operated on Grosvenor Street, Southampton, from around 1890 to the early 1900s. Sellers Kitchen Cabinets, an American company manufacturing oak kitchen cabinets, also used that location for a short time starting around 1919.
Business records or promotional materials from any of these businesses are welcome for donation to the Bruce County Archives.
Lucknow Furniture / Maple Leaf Aircraft Corp. Ltd. / Beatty Ladder Co. / Lucknow Wood Products
The Bruce County Archives welcomes donations of catalogues, photographs, promotional materials or business records related to any of these companies: Lucknow Furniture, Lucknow Table, Maple Leaf Aircraft Corporation, Beatty Ladder Co., and Lucknow Wood Products
Malcolm Furniture / Watson & Malcolm / Andrew Malcolm Furniture Company, Kincardine
For more information about this company, see: Andrew Malcolm Furniture Co. Limited
The Bruce County Archives is seeking business records and catalogues related to the Kincardine factory, excluding the 1910, 1913, and 1916 catalogues, and Malcom Colonial price list, September 1, 1935 already in the Collection.
Sklar-Peppler Ltd., Southampton
Sklar-Peppler took over the former Knechtel Furniture Company factory in Southampton in 1969. The Bruce County Archives collection currently holds no price lists, catalogues, or business records related to Sklar-Peppler referencing the Southampton location and would welcome donations.
Southampton Furniture Company, Southampton
This company operated out of the building, originally known as the S.M. Knechtel Chair Company on Grosvenor Street, Southampton.
Donations to the Bruce County Archives of photographs and business records are welcome.
Southampton Manufacturing Company Ltd., Southampton
This company operated between about 1894 and 1901.
Donations to the Bruce County Archives of related photographs, business records and catalogues are welcome.
Wiarton Furniture Co. / Hill Chair Company / Canada Casket Company, Wiarton
The Bruce County Archives has few records related to these companies. Donations of business records, photographs, product catalogues and price lists would help preserve the history, and share the story, of furniture manufacturing in Wiarton.
Hill Chair Co., Wiarton
Christian Hill, Martin Hill, George Allenson, William Becker and August Holland formed Hill Chair Company in 1896.
John L. Seimon and Andrew Siemon purchased the company in 1905 and changed the name to Siemon Brothers.
Canadian Casket Co., Wiarton
In 1914, Siemon Brothers was sold to the Canada Casket Company.
Wiarton Furniture Co.
Wiarton Furniture Company purchased the property in 1928.
Canada Furniture Manufacturers
Furniture Companies Well-Represented in the Archives
The Bruce County Archives holds a strong collection of business records and furniture catalogues for these companies. We welcome inquiries about potential donations that could help fill remaining gaps in the Collection.
Chesley Chair Co. / Heirloom of Canada Ltd., Chesley
For information about these businesses, see: Chesley Chair Company Limited / Heirloom
The Bruce County Archives welcomes donations of additional catalogues and price lists from:
- between 1906 and 1910
- between 1915 and 1919 (except for 1917’s catalogue #7 in the collection)
- in the 1920s (except for catalogues #19, 24, and 36 in the collection)
- in the 1930s and 40s (except for catalogues #43, 44, 47, 49, 50, and 51 already in the collection)
- in the 1950s, except for catalogue 1956 and Chesley Chair / Heirloom of Canada distributor catalogues 1956, 1957, 1959-1963 already in the collection
- in the 1960s, except for catalogue #77 already in the collection
The collection would also benefit from:
- Heirloom of Canada distributor catalogues, except catalogues 1965-1970 already in the collection
- Heirloom of Canada Catalogues, except for 1982, 1986, 1987 already in the collection
Knechtel Furniture Company, Southampton factory & Hanover head office
In 1901, the Southampton Manufacturing Company property in Southampton (on Morpeth Street, extending to the corner of Highway 21) was sold to Knechtel Furniture Company Limited of Hanover. The Southampton property was used by that company until around 1937.
The Archives would welcome donations of business records, as well as catalogues up to 1937, other than those listed below which are currently held in the Collection:
- 1910
- [no. 47 – between 1912 and 1918]
- 1918
- 1921 (supplement only), 1923, 1923, 1925, supplement to catalogue no. 54, ca. 1925*, ca. 1927, 1929
- 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935
Krug Bros. Co. Ltd.
The Bruce County Archives has fairly a complete collection of Krug Bros. Co. Ltd. Furniture catalogues and does not need to collect any that are duplicated in the linked list.
For more information about Krug Bros. Co. Ltd., see this article: Krug Bros. Co. Limited
Individual Furniture Makers
In addition to materials related to furniture factories and companies, the Bruce County Archives welcomes donations of business records or photographs related to individual local furniture makers.
A comprehensive list of craftsmen involved in the furniture industry in Bruce County before 1900 is provided in Jennifer Trant’s thesis The Victorian Furniture Industry in Grey and Bruce Counties, Ontario, available to view in the Bruce County Archives’ Research Room.
Contemporary Manufacturers
The Bruce County Archives is also committed to preserving the region’s contemporary industrial history. We invite manufacturing businesses and contemporary individual furniture makers interested in documenting and safeguarding their legacy to connect with us.
Beyond Furniture: Other Local Industries
The lists above focus on factories primarily involved in furniture production. The Bruce County Archives also collects materials from other local industries, including those involved in manufacturing brushes, cement, doors and mouldings, equipment, hinges, lumber, plywood, power components, spools and bobbins, textiles, and more!
Visit our Online Collections to explore items that highlight the history of these and other industries in Bruce County. To support the preservation of this broader industrial heritage, we welcome inquiries from anyone interested in donating relevant materials.
