Plants for smaller appliance producers

One small correction to your list - your mention of Philco/Bendix laundry being out of Fairfield, OH is actually Fairfield, IA. Artifacts of the "Philco days" are still present in the town, even with the giant, more modern Dexter headquarters and plant on the NW side of town.

Fairfield became home to Dexter between 1908 and 1912, after a fire destroyed the original factory in Dexter, IA in 1907, originally founded in 1894. In 1954 Dexter was sold to Philco Corp. to expand Philco's appliance line with a full laundry line, keeping the foundry and production plant remaining in Fairfield for wringer based washers. Prior to the Philco purchase of the company Dexter had produced a Beam two-motor automatic washer by 1950, and produced a Hamilton based automatic dryer by 1954.

Outside of the '64 Ford Annual report that Filterflo posted decades ago mentioning that pre-1964 laundry appliances were produced in Fairfield, I cannot confirm when exactly the front load 27" Duomatic and Automagic platforms were actually made in Fairfield, if they were made there at all. Philco-Bendix and Dexter commercial laundry items were also made at the Fairfield Philco plant during the 60's, as well.

Most of what we know of as the mid to late 60's Philco-Bendix and later Philco-Ford domestic laundry line was produced in Connersville, Indiana, with parts being produced in Fairfield. Sadly, Ford announced in September of 1969 that production of domestic and commercial laundry, dishwashers and ranges were coming to an end. Around Christmas 1971, the stake holders of the local Philco plant and local investors in Fairfield bought out the commercial laundry line from Ford and started up what we now know of as Dexter Co. in Fairfield, shortly after Ford had announced pulling the plug on most of what was left of the Philco Consumer Products division.

I can only imagine what the mood was like in Jefferson Country between 1969 and Christmas 1971. However, because of this we are still able to buy seals and pump parts for our beloved Bendix/Philco-Bendix washers and Duomatics.

All of this is, of course, without mentioning the Bendix lineage of this saga, but we'll leave that for another day.

Ben

References:

www.automaticwasher.org/c...

www.nytimes.com/1969/09/16/archi...

www.dexter.com/about-us/who-we-a...

www.thegazette.com/subject/news/...

faircastinc.com/foundry-history/...

iagenweb.org/jefferson/Dexter/Dex...

collguides.lib.uiowa.edu/QUESTION...

www.nytimes.com/1947/08/20/archi...

connersvillehistory.wordpress.co...

(one quick disclaimer - I lived in Fairfield in the late 90's and early 2000's. I very much wish I knew then what I know now...)

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Post# 1119699 6/8/2021 at 19:25 (1,045 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)
Checkrate/Likes Am curious about where the production facilities were for the smaller producers--from what I can tell, Westinghouse was from Mansfield, OH then WCI was Webster City, IA; Frigidaire, Dayton, OH; Easy, Syracuse, NY; Philco/Bendix laundry Fairfield, OH; (was refrigeration/ranges Philadelphia?); Kelvinator was originally Peoria (ABC) then WCI); Hamilton was Two Rivers, WI, SQ was Ripon. Was Norge Herrin, IL?

Post# 1119704 , Reply# 1 6/8/2021 at 20:50 (1,045 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)
Checkrate/Likes 2 One small correction to your list - your mention of Philco/Bendix laundry being out of Fairfield, OH is actually Fairfield, IA. Artifacts of the "Philco days" are still present in the town, even with the giant, more modern Dexter headquarters and plant on the NW side of town. Fairfield became home to Dexter between 1908 and 1912, after a fire destroyed the original factory in Dexter, IA in 1907, originally founded in 1894. In 1954 Dexter was sold to Philco Corp. to expand Philco's appliance line with a full laundry line, keeping the foundry and production plant remaining in Fairfield for wringer based washers. Prior to the Philco purchase of the company Dexter had produced a Beam two-motor automatic washer by 1950, and produced a Hamilton based automatic dryer by 1954. Outside of the '64 Ford Annual report that Filterflo posted decades ago mentioning that pre-1964 laundry appliances were produced in Fairfield, I cannot confirm when exactly the front load 27" Duomatic and Automagic platforms were actually made in Fairfield, if they were made there at all. Philco-Bendix and Dexter commercial laundry items were also made at the Fairfield Philco plant during the 60's, as well. Most of what we know of as the mid to late 60's Philco-Bendix and later Philco-Ford domestic laundry line was produced in Connersville, Indiana, with parts being produced in Fairfield. Sadly, Ford announced in September of 1969 that production of domestic and commercial laundry, dishwashers and ranges were coming to an end. Around Christmas 1971, the stake holders of the local Philco plant and local investors in Fairfield bought out the commercial laundry line from Ford and started up what we now know of as Dexter Co. in Fairfield, shortly after Ford had announced pulling the plug on most of what was left of the Philco Consumer Products division. I can only imagine what the mood was like in Jefferson Country between 1969 and Christmas 1971. However, because of this we are still able to buy seals and pump parts for our beloved Bendix/Philco-Bendix washers and Duomatics. All of this is, of course, without mentioning the Bendix lineage of this saga, but we'll leave that for another day. Ben References: www.automaticwasher.org/c... www.nytimes.com/1969/09/16/archi... www.dexter.com/about-us/who-we-a... www.thegazette.com/subject/news/... faircastinc.com/foundry-history/... iagenweb.org/jefferson/Dexter/Dex... collguides.lib.uiowa.edu/QUESTION... www.nytimes.com/1947/08/20/archi... connersvillehistory.wordpress.co... (one quick disclaimer - I lived in Fairfield in the late 90's and early 2000's. I very much wish I knew then what I know now...) View Full Size

Post# 1119710 , Reply# 2 6/8/2021 at 22:00 (1,045 days old) by cfz2882 (Belle Fourche,SD)
Checkrate/Likes I think Norge was Edison NJ and Hotpoint through about 1972 were Chicago.

Post# 1119729 , Reply# 3 6/9/2021 at 07:26 (1,044 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Thanks for the context around Connersville. That adds additional detail. Of course I was meaning Iowa...got fumble fingered.

Post# 1119738 , Reply# 4 6/9/2021 at 10:00 (1,044 days old) by vacerator (Macomb, Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *The main* Kelvinator plant for Laundry was on Plymouth and Mark Twain st. road in Detroit. After they, or WCI aquired Leonnard, ranges were also built in Grand Rapids Mi.