Pope Manufacturing Company

Pope Manufacturing Company
Type Bicycle and Automobile Manufacturing
Founded 1878
Founder(s) Albert Augustus Pope
Headquarters Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Area served United States
Products Bicycles, Motorcycles, Automobiles
Automotive parts
Columbia bicycle head badge
Columbia Model 40 Mens Safety Bicycle, 1895
Columbia Model 41 Ladies Safety Bicycle, 1895

Pope Manufacturing Company was founded by Albert Augustus Pope in Hartford, Connecticut. Starting in 1877, it manufactured bicycles, under the Columbia brand, motorcycles, and automobiles. It ceased automobile production in 1915, and ceased motorcycle production in 1918, but bicycles are still available under the Columbia brand.

Bicycles

The company began with the introduction of the "Columbia High Wheeler" bicycle in 1878.[1] After the introduction of the high wheeler, Pope bought Pierre Lallement's original patent for the bicycle, and aggressively bought all other bicycle patents he could find, amassing a fortune by restricting the types of bicycles other American manufacturers could make and charging them royalties.[1] He used the latest technologies in his bicycles—inventions such as ball bearings in all moving parts, and hollow steel tubes for the frame, and he spent a great deal of money promoting bicycle clubs, journals, and races.[1]

Pope Manufacturing was an innovator in the use of stamping for the production of metal parts. Until 1896, the company was the leading US producer of bicycles. In 1914, the main offices of Pope were moved to Westfield, Massachusetts. However, in 1915, the Pope Manufacturing Company filed for bankruptcy. In 1916 Pope was reorganized and renamed The Westfield Manufacturing Company. The catalogs stating that they are “successors to The Pope Manufacturing Company”. In 1933, Westfield Manufacturing became a subsidiary of The Torrington Company of Torrington, Connecticut. In December 1960 and independent corporation was formed, and in 1961 was renamed Columbia Manufacturing Company. In 1967, Columbia Mfg. Co. merged with MTD. In 1987, Columbia Mfg. filed for bankruptcy. In 1988, Columbia was purchased by some of the local management and reorganized as Columbia Manufacturing Company and was no longer part of MTD. Bicycle production remains limited to this day, but import and sale of foreign bicycles continue.

  • 1879 Columbia Ordinary, 48 inch

  • 1881 view of the factory

  • 1882 Columbia Bicycle advertisement

  • 1882 Columbia Expert, 52 inch

  • 1883 Columbia Bicycle advertisement

  • 1885 Columbia Bicycle advertisement

  • 1886 Columbia Bicycles advertisement

  • 1888 Pope Manufacturing advertisement

  • circa 1891 Columbia Expert, 56 inch

  • 1892 Pope Manufacturing headquarters in Boston, MA.

  • 1890s Pope Manufacturing Co. advertisement

  • 1895 Columbia Bicycle advertisement

  • 1896 Columbia Bicycle advertisement

  • 1912 Pope Manufacturing Co. bicycle catalog

  • 1912 Pope Manufacturing Co. bicycle catalog

  • 1912 Pope Manufacturing Co. bicycle catalog

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Motorcycles

Pope began manufacturing motorized bicycles in 1902 and continued with motorcycles until 1918.[2]

  • 1914 Pope motorcycle

  • 1914 Pope L14 1000 cc

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Automobiles

In 1897, Pope Manufacturing began production of an electric automobile.[3] By 1899, the company had produced over 500 vehicles. Hiram Percy Maxim was head engineer of the Motor Vehicle Department. The Electric Vehicle division was spun off that year as the independent company Columbia Automobile Company but it was acquired by the Electric Vehicle Company by the end of the year.[3]

Pope tried to re-enter the automobile manufacturing market in 1901 by acquiring a number of small firms, but the process was expensive and competition in the industry was heating up.

Between the years 1903 and 1915, the company operated a number of automobile companies including Pope-Hartford (1903-1914), Pope-Robinson, Pope-Toledo (1903-1909), Pope-Tribune (1904-1907) and Pope-Waverley.[4]

Pope declared bankruptcy in 1907[3] and abandoned the automobile industry in 1915.[5]

  • 1901 Columbia Electric Advertisement

  • 1903 Pope Automobile Company Logo

  • 1904 Pope Toledo Tonneau

  • 1905 Pope Manufacturing Co. advertisement

  • 1907 Pope Toledo

  • 1910 Pope Waverley Coupe

  • 1911 Pope Hartford

  • 1914 Pope Hartford advertisement

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See also

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References

  1. ^ a b c Herlihy, David V. (2004). Bicycle, The History. Yale University Press. pp. 184–192. ISBN 0-300-10418-9. 
  2. ^ "Pope Motor Bikes & Motorcycles". MrColumbia. Retrieved 2012-01-16. 
  3. ^ a b c David Corrigan. "The Columbia Cars Are Born". Hog River Journal - Exploring CT History. Retrieved 2012-01-16. 
  4. ^ "American Automobiles - Manufacturers". Farber and Associates, LLC - 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011. 
  5. ^ Daniel Vaughan (Aug 2005). "1911 Pope-Hartford Model W news, pictures, and information". Conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 2012-01-16. 
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Further reading

  • "Bicycle-Making: Where and How Bicycles are Made." Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly v.12 no.5, November 1881.
  • "Pope Manufacturing Company." Moses King, ed. King's handbook of New York city: an outline history and description of the American metropolis. 1892
  • "The Progress of a great industry." Outing (Advertising Supplement), v.19, no.6, 1892
  • "Pope Bicycle building burned; only the walls remain of the handsome Boston headquarters of the Columbia Wheel." New York Times, March 13, 1896
  • David A. Hounshell. From the American system to mass production, 1800-1932. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1984
  • Bruce Epperson. Failed Colossus: Strategic Error at the Pope Manufacturing Company, 1878-1900." Technology and Culture, Vol. 41, No. 2 (Apr., 2000), pp. 300–320
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External links

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Last modified on 14 April 2013, at 07:51