The Wakefield Rattan Company was the world's leading manufacturer of

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan, is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the closed- canopy old-growth tropical forest ...

furniture and objects in the second half of the 19th century. Founded by

Cyrus Wakefield Cyrus Wakefield (February 7, 1811 – October 26, 1873) was a manufacturer of rattan furniture and carriage bodies, and the founder of the Wakefield Rattan Company, the largest manufacturer of rattan products at the time. The town of Wakefiel ...

in 1851 in South

Reading, Massachusetts Reading ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, north of central Boston. The population was 25,518 at the 2020 census. History Settlement and American independence Many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's original settler ...

(now

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population ...

), it perfected machinery for working with rattan, developing looms for weaving chair seats and mats. Its products also included

wicker Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

furniture and baby carriages. The company also successfully found uses for previously wasted portions of the plant, using shavings to create baling fabric and floor coverings. Its products were available throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

History

In 1868, Cyrus Wakefield donated a new town hall to South Reading, which renamed itself

in his honor. He was also a major benefactor and investor in the town. When Wakefield died in 1873, his company employed 1,000 workers at an site just outside the town center. In the 1890s, the company merged with Heywood Brothers, becoming the Heywood-Wakefield Company. The manufacturing facilities were updated after several fires did significant damage to the plant. By 1930, the company's business had declined, and its facilities were redeveloped for other uses. In 1972, a fire destroyed all but four buildings. In 1989, those buildings were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

. In 2005, they were demolished and replaced by a supermarket.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Industrial buildings completed in 1889 Buildings and structures in Wakefield, Massachusetts 1851 establishments in Massachusetts Companies disestablished in the 1930s National Register of Historic Places in Wakefield, Massachusetts Defunct manufacturing companies based in Massachusetts Demolished buildings and structures in Massachusetts Buildings and structures demolished in 2005

History

See also

References