Emerson and Stevens

 The companies that would come to be known as “Emerson & Stevens”, or “E&S” colloquially, were a culmination of numerous men’s previous experience in scythe and axe manufacturing. Formed in 1870 at West Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine, the company had 5 key initial investors and incorporators. Luther Dorr Emerson had manufactured scythes under Reuben Dunn out of Fayette in the 1850s, and in the 1860s had been a part of the Hubbard and Blake Manufacturing Company.  Joseph E. Stevens had owned a portion of “Hale and Stephens”, a scythe manufacturing company in West Waterville and by the late 1860s was a superintendent at the Dunn Edge Tool Company. Joseph’s son, George W. Stevens had been raised in the ways of scythe manufacturing as he was born while “Hale and Stephens” was in operation. Charles E. Folson had manufactured scythes for numerous companies in West Waterville and Wayne. William R. Pinkham had similarly been manufacturing axes since prior to 1850, but had concentrated his efforts there in West Waterville. In 1870, the 5 men came together and formed “Emerson, Stevens, and Company” for the manufacturing of scythes, axes, and other edge tools. The competition of the area was great, with Hubbard and Blake and the Dunn Edge Tool Company already deeply entrenched in the local market, though the waterpower of the Messalonskee Stream and their combined experience was a great advantage.    Production grew slowly over the first years of the company’s existence, but by 1877 they were noted as employing 30 men and manufacturing 3,000 dozen scythes annually. Their consumption for that year sat around 50 tons of iron and 12 tons of steel. Despite the growth, they continued to be noted as the smallest of the 3 big scythe and axe manufacturing companies in West Waterville. In 1879 the company saw a stall when the factory burned down in January, though they were back up and running by April. In 1883 the city of Oakland was formed from what had been previously known as West Waterville, causing a change in the company’s noted location despite remaining at the same spot. In the summer of 1885, another change would effect that company’s public image and naming: a re-incorporation as a stock based organization. Previously referred to as “Emerson, Stephens, and Company”, the leadership had lost one investor, Charles E. Folsom, who had moved to New Hampshire to manufacture scythes there, and had the need for restructuring. The resulting company was the “Emerson and Stevens Manufacturing Company”. The new company saw Joseph Stevens as President, G.W. Stevens as Clerk/Secretary, and Luther D. Emerson as Treasurer. All of the aforementioned men were also noted as directors of the company with W.R. Pinkham noted as an additional director.

       The new company would continue to grow through the decade. In 1890 they would see a temporary deal with the American Axe and Tool Company that fell through after 2 months. In 1893 Luther D. Emerson passed away and G.W. Stevens retired from the company to move to New Mexico to spearhead fruit tree growth there. 1894 saw the death of Joseph E. Stephen. By the turn of the century the company’s leadership had shifted completely. Continuing to manufacture in the new century, production would decline after World War I, with a fire in 1923 causing the leadership of the company, at the time topped by Lester M. Andrews, to decide to close up rather than rebuild. Rather than see the company die, an employee by the name of Ralph M. Stowell purchased the company and rebuilt, though production would not start again until 1925. Stowell would lead the company, eventually with the help of his nephew, Harold E. York, until the 1960s. In 1964, the company would cease standard production, though remaining stock would be sold until the early 1970s.