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The Davis Sewing Machine Company began in 1868 in
Around 1892, Davis started manufacturing
File:Davis1.jpg, A rare Davis vertical feed machine from around 1890.
{{sewing
Sewing machine brands
1868 establishments in New York (state)
Watertown, New York
Defunct companies based in Dayton, Ohio
Companies based in Jefferson County, New York
Watertown, New York
Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by th ...
, and moved to Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
, around 1890.
History
Early Davis sewing machines, known as their "Vertical Feed" machines, did not use the conventional four motion feed, as invented byAllen B. Wilson
Allen Benjamin Wilson (1823–1888) was an American inventor famous for designing, building and patenting some of the first successful sewing machines. He invented both the '' vibrating'' and the ''rotating'' shuttle designs which, in turns, ...
and used in most other machines. These machines have no feed dogs at all. Instead, they have two presser feet, one of which, along with the needle bar, moves the cloth while the needle is still through the cloth. The other, larger, presser foot is used to hold the cloth stationary while the needle lifts out of the cloth and moves forward to get ready for the next stitch. While Davis called this mechanism their "Vertical Feed", sewing machines with similar mechanisms are now known as "walking foot" machines.
Later Davis machines used a more conventional feed mechanism, with a stationary presser foot and feed dogs. Davis called them "underfeed" machines.
On Oct 18, 1881, Davis Sewing Machine Co., was awarded US Pat. 248,449 for improvements over existing shuttle designs.
Around 1892, Davis started manufacturing bicycles
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bi ...
. The ''Dayton Daily News
The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...
'' indicated that the bicycle business was so successful that Davis gradually phased out production of sewing machines. The Huffman Manufacturing Company was formed as a sales outlet for Davis parts.
In 1924, the Davis Company's assets were liquidated
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistr ...
. At that time, the company employed 1,800 workers.
See also
*List of sewing machine brands
This is a list of notable sewing machine brands and companies. A sewing machine is a machine used to stitch fabric and other materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amo ...
References