Landers

VACUUM BOTTLES TO VACUUM CLEANERS; COFFEE MAKERS TO REFRIGERATORS, AMERICANS KEPT HOUSE WITH LANDERS, FRARY AND CLARK.

As a sixteen year old boy, George M. Landers came to New Britain as an apprentice. After learning his trade, he entered a manufacturing concern, educated himself by studying nights and in 1842, with Josiah Dewey, went into the business of manufacturing metal products under the name of Dewey and Landers. In a small shop on East Main Street, they made furniture casters, coat and hat hooks and other small articles of hardware. The business flourished. In 1847, Mr. Dewey died and Levi O. Smith joined the firm. The business was organized as a stock company in 1853 as Landers and Smith Manufacturing Company. A new foundry was built, the factory floor space enlarged and the business of Frary & Carey Company of Meriden was acquired. James D. Frary came into the Company and the capital was increased to $50,000. In 1866 the firm was reorganized as Landers, Frary & Clark and the manufacture of cutlery was added to the hardware items.

In 1898, the company took out a patent on a food chopper, the first ever made in this country and called it the “Universal” food chopper. This was followed by the Universal bread maker, cake mixer and a line of household cooking appliances heated by alcohol.

As more and more houses became wired for electricity and it became commercially available, the management was quick to realize and appreciate the sales potential in electric appliances. About 1912, Landers presented an electric flat iron to the trade. The toaster, waffle iron, coffee pot and other electric appliances were added to the line and enthusiastically accepted. The line later was expanded to include vacuum cleaners, washing machines, ironers and electric ranges. The resources of the company increased to $18,000,000 in less than a century with factory floor space of almost 42 acres.