1894: Birth of Holmes and Gilfillan
photo credit: Ross Porter Collection
photo credit: Ross Porter Collection
McKean
County Democrat For the accommodation of their patrons and their increasing
business Holmes & Gilfillan have acquired more ground, and are now
extending their lumber and builders' supply yard. The demand for coal
of all kinds has been such that they find it necessary to have a greater
supply on hand and a new railroad switch is being built for their use,
along which the coal yard will be located. |
On March 1st, 1894 F. L. Holmes and Alba J. Gilfillan founded a retail and wholesale lumber establishment on Water and Mechanic streets in Smethport, PA. Consequently the firm was named Holmes and Gilfillan after its owners. Both men were also sales agents for the American Extract Company. Mr. Holmes was in charge of the office while Mr. Gilfillan went on the road as a sales representative. The company also added builders supplies to its services a short time after it was founded. A saw mill was also added from 1908 to 1922.
In 1906 Holmes and Gilfillan decided to combine forces with J. C. Backus of Backus Company. They decided to use his patents to begin producing 10 pin pinsetting machines. The Backus Pinsetters quickly became a big part of the business. On July 1, 1919 Holmes and Gilfillan was incorporated as a business with Mr. Gilfillan as president, Mr. Holmes as vice-president, and Bernard A. Ball as secretary. In 1932 Mr. Gilfillan died and Mr. Holmes took over as president of the company. He did not last long as president passing away in 1933. Mr. Ball succeeded as president and in 1936 reorganized the firm after buying the interests of the estate. He became the sole owner of the company and operated it as the Holmes and Gilfillan Company. The company kept producing pinsetting machines off the Backus patent til Mr. Ball created the Spot-O-Matic pinsetter. Mr. Ball was forced to shutdown part of it supply lines during World War II because of lack of materials and equipment. He passed away in car crash on the way to Jamestown, NY in am attempt to obtain steel for the business.
photo credit: Ross Porter
Collection
photo credit: Ross Porter
Collection
1895: Home of Alba J. Gilfillan 1906: Holmes & Gillfillan/BackusPinsetters 1906: Backus Company 1915: Backus Patent Pinsetter Installation (2000AD photos) 1933 New Pinsetter Factory 1940: Bernard Ball Biography 1940: Bernard Ball Spotmatic Pinsetter Patents 1944: Bernard Ball tragic accident Smethport History main page
2001- Photo of Pinsetter Factory, ( Zaleski's Vinyl Outlet)
photo credit: Greg Pierotti
