Handle Manufacturer of the Past, Hickory Handle & Manufacturing Co.

Display case by Hickory Handle & Mfg. Co.

Hickory Handle & Manufacturing Co. of Conover, NC, was a rare instance of a handle maker also producing furniture. According to the book Conover by Donald Barker, 2011, the company began in 1891, making handles and school desks. A 1921 North Carolina industrial report listed their products as "Hammer handles, chicken coops, etc." This appears to be an understatement, judging by the well-made display case pictured here. Thank you to reader Tim for the photo. The furniture side became Conover Furniture Co., later acquired by Broyhill Industries.

According to the 1957 Conover city directory, Hickory Handle was at 302 4th St. SW, and Preston L. Yount was president. Handles produced for Stream Line Tools auto body hammers, also made in Conover, were stamped "Conover, N. Car. USA".

Handle Manufacturer of the Past, American Handle Co.

American Handle Co. was located in the Southside industrial area of Richmond, VA, and was in business through at least 2001. Their handles were branded "Owl".

  

Defiance Handle Lathe, 1920 and 2016

I ran across this ad for a Defiance copy lathe in a 1920 issue of The Wood-Worker, a magazine for the wood products industry. To see what looks like the same lathe operating, here it is at House Handle Co.