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Back when typewriters were cutting edge technology. Interesting piece:
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If I remember, most of the American typewriters I've seen were made in New York, New York. Oliver typewriters were made in Chicago, and R. C. Allen (not sure of Woodstock) was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I would imagine these machines were showcased on Typewriter Row as well. I would have had a field day running around trying out typewriters--like back in the day I used to do that same thing at the flea markets (swap meets, for some), secondhand stores, and antique stores. I still love trying out machines--although I am not buying nearly what I used to buy.
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TypewriterKing wrote:
If I remember, most of the American typewriters I've seen were made in New York, New York.
I'd be surprised if any were made in NYC. The head offices for many American manufacturers were located there, but the machines were built elsewhere. Ignoring the numerous factories that were located outside of the U.S., Remington produced its machines in Ilion, New York, and later on also in Elmira, Smith-Corona (L.C. Smith and Smith Premier - Corona was originally in Groton, Connecticut) were located in Syracuse, New York, and both Royal and Underwood had their factories in Hartford, Connecticut. Undoubtedly there were other factory locations, but these are the factories that I'm familiar with.
TypewriterKing wrote:
Oliver typewriters were made in Chicago, and R. C. Allen (not sure of Woodstock) was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Woodstock, Illinois, northwest of Chicago, was the factory site for both Oliver and the Emerson Typewriter Company (Emerson produced the Woodstock branded typewriter and R.C. Allen continued to build those machines there when it took over). There was also the Allen Typewriter Company (don't think there's any connection to R.C. Allen) that made its machines in Allentown, Pennsylvania, from which the company got its name.
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Coronas were made in Groton, NY (near Syracuse), not CT. Later they had a factory in Cortland, not far away. Yes, Hartford had both Royal and Underwood. I believe Royal shifted production of its portables to Springfield, MO in the early 1960s. Down the river not too far from Hartford, in Middletown, the Noiseless Typewriter Company was located. The Noiseless machines continued to be made there after Remington bought the company.
The Blickensderfers were made in Stamford, CT, and the Williams machines were made in Derby, CT. Fox typewriters were made in Grand Rapids, MI.
But as a general matter, the corporate headquarters for Royal and Underwood were in NYC, which is what you see on the back of the machines.
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Fleetwing wrote:
Coronas were made in Groton, NY (near Syracuse), not CT.
You're right. I messed up the state for Groton while listing all of those other locations, and should have known better given what is sitting on my desk right now:
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Yeah, they build other things in Groton, CT -- they operate under water....