Maine's Progressive Business 2012

Maine’s Progressive Business Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

By David M. FitzpatrickBANGOR DAILY NEWS

Whatever John Thomas Cyr’sambitions were when he movedfrom Caribou to Old Townaround 1903, we know what hap-pened after he arrived. Heworked for several years at Jor-dan Lumber Company, and in1912, at age 51, he founded acompany with his son that is stillgoing strong a century later.

John T. Cyr & Sons began as alivery stable with 32 horses inOld Town, but after World War Ihe shifted his focus to a deliveryand taxi service. It was May 21,1912 when his son, Joseph, firstapplied for a truck licensethrough the city of Old Town.His horse-drawn carriages servedas everything from mail trans-ports to coaches to hearses.

In 1922, he bought his firstcars: Studebakers, to transportOld Town schoolchildren — thecompany’s first bus contract.That year, he also began offeringfreight service. His first majorfreight customer: Old TownCanoe Company, hauling sup-plies from the railyards in andcanoes out.

John and his son Joe both diedin 1934, leaving Joe’s youngerbrother, Albert, in charge. Soonhis brother Harvey, by trade ateacher and principal in GrandIsle, Maine, joined him. Thebrothers added a bus service by1939 that ran from Old Town toGreat Works, Milford, andBradley, and by 1945 expandedthe run to Eddington, NorthBrewer, and Bangor. The runthen backtracked up the Brewerside because, at the time, BangorHydro, which ran buses backthen, had exclusive public-busrights to the other side of theriver.

During World War II, thecompany contributed to the wareffort when it contracted withthe military to transport Germanprisoners of war to detentioncamps in remote regions ofAroostook, Penobscot, and Pis-cataquis Counties. Later, theybussed those prisoners back sothey could return home.

TThhrreeee GGeenneerraattiioonnssIn the early 1950s, a fire

destroyed the French Islandgarage, and the company lost allof its eight buses — the firstnight all the buses had been putin the garage. But the companyonly lost one day of bus service;the next day, Bean & Conquest inBangor was quickly able to pro-vide four buses to the company,which rebuilt and kept going.

Harvey’s son Joseph, namedafter Harvey’s older brother, hadcome along in 1940. By age 10,young Joe was working for hisfather; by 15, with his UncleAlbert having already passed in1952, he was driving school buses(this was normal and legal then;even into the 1970s, half of thedozen school-bus drivers at Cyrwere high-school students). Aftergraduating from Old Town HighSchool in 1959, he went to col-lege for two and a half years, firstat Farmington Teachers Collegeand then at Husson. But whenthe company’s bookkeeper, Har-vey’s cousin, died suddenly, Joejoined the family business, wherehe worked as a mechanic, book-keeper, secretary, and payrollclerk.

The ubiquity of automobilesin the 1960s saw the end of thepublic bus service. And when Joetook over the company in 1967following Harvey’s death, he dis-continued the trucking businessto focus on buses. At that time,the company had 13 buses, two

trucks, and 14 employees.In 1970, another fire struck the

French Island garage, possiblystarted by welding. It wasn’t asbad as the early-1950s fire, andthe company wasn’t slowed.

In the wake of the 1970s ener-gy crisis, Joe tried to revive theOld Town-Eddington-Bangorrun, but it didn’t fly — althougha shuttle service at the Universityof Maine in Orono did for a time.But the company’s seriousgrowth began in 1976, when itwon the contract to bus Brewerschoolchildren, the first majoraccount outside the Old Townarea. The company landed theBangor contract a few years later,and its growth began accelerat-ing.

In 1975, Joe had also expandedinto motor coaches when he’dbought a used 1959 GMC (whichhe still has today). In 1984, whenthe Highway Division of the Ban-gor & Aroostook Railroad quit itsAroostook run (which had begunfollowing B&A’s exit from pas-senger rail service) Joe picked itup; about 27 passengers per dayused it, and Joe’s wife, Suzanne,became the tour coordinator. In1990, the company purchasedNorthstar Tours, which special-ized in group tours and chartercoaches throughout U.S. andCanada. The new company wasCyr Northstar Tours.

By 1991, Cyr was the largestschool-bus company in Maine,with 120 buses, 25 vans, and 150employees. That year, the MaineSociety of Entrepreneurs namedJoe and Suzanne Cyr Entrepre-neurs of the Year, and formerSen. Margaret Chase Smith pre-sented the award to them at hernamesake library in Skowhegan.

The Aroostook run didn’t fareso well. With just 16 passengersper day, it no longer paid foritself, but Joe wanted to providepeople with the service and keep

a driver employed. He applied fora state subsidy to keep it alive; hegot it, and has gotten it every yearsince, ensuring bus service to andfrom Aroostook year-round.

RReecceenntt DDeevveellooppmmeennttssIn 1992, Cyr was maintaining

14 full-sized, 40-passengercoaches licensed to travelthroughout the country, andoffered 50 chartered tours thatyear, including one to Alaska. Butsomething big happened in 1992.

After 70 years of John T. Cyr &Sons bussing its schoolchildren,the city of Old Town dropped thecompany in favor of a lower bid-der on a three-year contract.Champion had bid $576,267,$21,123 less than Cyr. This wasdespite Cyr paying $54,772.50 inexcise taxes to Old Town in thefiscal year ending June 30, 1991for vehicle registrations. OldTown came back to Cyr when thecontract renewed three yearslater, and has been with the com-pany ever since.

It has never been “all business”for Joe; he’s always been very

active in his community, servingon the boards of such institu-tions as St. Joseph Hospital, Mer-rill Merchants Bank, and the OldTown-Orono YMCA. In fact, Joehad been one of the first, andstrongest, supporters of the newfield house at the Orono YMCA;when its cost ballooned to $1.4million, a group of volunteersfrom many organizations workedto finish the construction them-selves and keep the cost at$800,000. The Cyr Family FieldHouse opened in 2001, and led toa marked increase in the YMCAmembership.

In December 2003, the compa-ny acquired the former MaineLine Tours & Charters of SouthPortland, which had been oper-ating as a division of Massachu-setts-based Peter Pan Bus Lines.The acquisition made Cyr thelargest tour bus and charter com-pany in Maine, with plans tooffer 125 tours per year. A yearlater, Cyr leased the formerMaine Line facility in SouthPortland and kept the manageron. In 2004, Metro Magazine

named Cyr Bus Tours its Opera-tor of the Year. But while the newacquisition was profitable, by2007 Joe and Mike realized theypreferred to stay in the Old Townarea. They soon sold the SouthPortland business — to a manwho had actually approachedthem hoping to sell his businessto Cyr.

TTooddaayy aanndd tthhee FFuuttuurreeToday, the company consists of

two major divisions: John T. Cyr& Sons, which operates schoolbuses; and Cyr Bus Lines, whichoperates motor coaches in andoutside of Maine.

The company employs 235people and has over 250 vehicles,including 200 school buses for 18school departments and 21coaches doing 4,000 charter tripsand tours. Last year, the companytraveled 3.1 million miles andburned 500,000 gallons of fuel.Cyr does 95 percent of its ownvehicle service, from tuneups tominor mechanical work to majorengine and transmission rebuildsto body work.

And it’s still a family business.Joe is at the helm, and his sonMike runs the motor-coach divi-sion and takes care of the compa-ny’s computer needs. Joe’s broth-er Peter Cyr handles body work,and Joe’s daughter Becky Whit-more is the company bookkeeper.

Joe has two grandsons: Becky’s8-month-old, Ian, and Mike’s 12-year-old — named John T. Cyr.Joe hopes the family’s interest inthe business will continue.

Joe said it’s hard to guess whatJohn T. Cyr would think of theoperation today, because henever knew his grandfather. But“My father — his stomach wouldgrowl, because it would be toomuch; he was a worrier,” herecalled. “My grandfather proba-bly would be the same way. It’sgrown... we’re a pretty big busi-ness.”

And the future? “We’ve takengrowth as it’s come,” Joe said.“We haven’t gone looking a lot. Ithink we’re just going to go on aswe’re going.”


2 | BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Friday | January 13, 2012

For 2012, Joe Cyr personally applied stickers celebrating thecompany’s centennial to every one of the company’s buses.

BDN PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK

The Cyr family with one of its new coaches, which is emblazoned with “Serving you since1912.” From left is Ruby Whitmore; her mother Becky Whitmore (Joe’s daughter), bookkeeper;Joe Cyr, president; Mike Cyr (Joe’s son), Charter Manager; Pete Cyr (Joe’s brother), body man.

Left: A Cyr truck with its driver, and a Cyr charter bus in the background. Middle: Four buses in use by Cyr in the 1940s at the French Island location. Right: This 1942 picture shows one ofthe company’s limousines at the garage on French Island.

Joe Cyr, president of John T. Cyr & Sons and grandson ofthe founder, at the Old Town headquarters in November2011, as one of his many school buses pulls out of theyard. (BDN photo by David M. Fitzpatrick)

John T. Cyr & Sons: 100 Years of School Buses & Coaches


It was 64 years ago when ahard-working man started asmall business that grew tobecome the local icon it is today.And even if you’ve never givenBangor Neon a second thought,chances are you’ve seen the com-pany’s work. In fact, if you drivethrough the Greater Bangor area,you likely see it everywhere.

Bob Treworgy and Joe Willettewere childhood friends who grewup in Bangor’s “Little City,” thearea between Center Street andKenduskeag Avenue. Fresh out ofhigh school, Bob enrolled in theMaine School of Commerce(what is now Husson University).But World War II was raging, andthe young men were soon draftedinto the Army, shipping outalmost straight to Belgium in1944. Bob served with the 106thInfantry, the notable group thatfought at the Battle of the Bulge.The American forces lost thou-sands of men, but Bob was fortu-nately stationed at Personnel HQas a company clerk and camehome safe.

Bob returned to college forthree years to earn a businessdegree, while Joe had his eye onworking at the Post Office. Whileheading down to apply, henoticed a business on HarlowStreet: Maine Neon Light Manu-

facturing Company. He put hisGI Bill to work learning a trade asa neon-tube bender there, andwhen Bob graduated in 1948, thepair went into business as Ani-mated Neon Signs.

The venture, fueled by $400they scraped together, began inthe garage of Bob’s father, Lau-rence, who also provided a boxtrailer and a wooden ladder. WithJoe bending glass tubes for neonsigns and Bob on the road mak-ing sales and installing signs, theyworked long, hard days for sever-al years.

By 1951, the established busi-ness moved to 143 GarlandStreet, which didn’t even have itsown bathroom; the guys had torun home to use the facilities.There, they purchased their firsttruck. They constructed a home-made boom out of pipe andwood after being inspired by asimilar truck in town.

Then came the name change.“Animated Neon Signs” had beenBob’s idea, so it would be firstalphabetically and different fromother sign companies — but itwas so different nobody remem-bered it. They settled on a mucheasier name: Bangor Neon.

SSuucccceessss aanndd EExxppaannssiioonnIn 1952, with business picking

up, they were able to hire theirfirst employee. But even then, thepublic’s fascination with neonsigns was waning; back-lit Plexi-

glas signs were becoming the “in”thing. Always ready for reinven-tion, Bob and Joe traveled toMoncton, N.B. to visit a plasticsignmaker and learn how toadapt their business to that newtechnology. And about 1954,Bob’s wife Grace, who hadworked as a bookkeeper for Mer-chants National Bank for 10years, came aboard to handle thebooks for Bangor Neon.

From early on, the men under-stood how to market themselvesby communicating the impor-tance of good signs. “Better SignsBring Better Sales” was theiradvertising slogan in 1957. Theyalso knew how to constantlyadapt to new technology: “TheMost Progressive Sign Company”was their next slogan, used until1977.

In the late 1950s, the companyrelocated to 9 Henry Street, butwhen the Interstate 95 construc-tion came through town, HenryStreet was eliminated. BangorNeon moved a few doors downon Broadway, where Bob and Joebought the old Crowder AutoPaint Shop.

In 1966, after 18 years inbusiness together, Bob and Joeamicably parted ways. Joe wentoff to work for a national bill-board company, and also pur-chased a hotel in Holden. How-ever, he later returned to workfor Bob for a brief time on anindependent basis before his death in 1976.

Bangor Neon’s final reloca-tion, to 1567 Outer HammondStreet where the old Plaid Stampsstore had been, happened in1971. Just two years later, Boband Grace’s daughter, Gayle,spent her senior year of highschool at art school in Boston, aventure that gave the 18-year-oldskills in graphic design that shebrought back to the family busi-ness in 1974. At that time, shedrew everything with a pencil.Even in 1983, when her futurehusband, Joel Hansen, startedthere, everything was manual;they’d use a projector to project aclient’s business card on the wall,where they’d hand-trace lettersand logos onto paper, then ontocarbon paper. They’d then drawplastic letters and hand-cutthem.

IInnccrreeaassiinngg TTeecchhnnoollooggyyBy the mid-1980s, when neon

had found a resurgence in popu-larity and the company was stillalways learning new ways to dosigns, computers arrived andbegan making their work easier.By 1995, the technology wasadvancing in leaps and bounds,and the company was doingeverything from vinyl lettering tosandblasted wood signs. Technol-ogy change quickly and constant-

ly over the next 30 years.Neon’s resurgence into the

1990s has since fallen away aslow-energy, low-maintenanceLED lights have become a main-stay in lighted signs. Years ago,the company began using lightedmarquee signs; today, full-colorLED signs are big business.

Digital printing is also huge.Recent 60-inch equipmentinstalled at the shop include aplotter, which cuts shapes witha blade; a printer that can printon just about any flexible mate-rial; a printer that can print onfirm media such as foamboardor metal; and a laminator.Computers control all thesedevices; you could print onmaterial, run it through thelaminator, and then have theplotter cut out shapes. BangorNeon can print and cut any-thing, even gigantic sheets ofsmall decals (far easier thandoing it by hand). The companywill letter anything, from truckdoors to boats to motorcyclehelmets.

The company has long done“forwarding work,” receivingsigns from national sign compa-nies and doing the installs — forexample, when a national restau-rant chain or car dealership

needs a sign, it’s shipped in forinstallation. Likewise, BangorNeon sometimes crafts signs thatit ships out of state and has othercompanies install.

With neon being far less thaneven 5 percent of what the com-pany does, the name “BangorNeon” might seem a bit atavistic.But the name reflects the compa-ny’s roots — and is highly recog-nizable.

Bob Treworgy died in 2007,leaving the business he built fromnothing in the capable hands ofhis wife of 63 years, his daughter,and his son-in-law. Nobody hasany doubt that Bob would appre-ciate the continued advance-ments.

“He liked the idea of how fartechnology had changed,” JoelHansen said. “He was very excit-ed about it when we got the firstplotter that cut stuff — becausehe had to do so much manually.”

As for Grace Treworgy, at 86she still comes to work nearlyevery day, continuing the workher husband began in 1948. Andshe has her daughter, son-in-law,and granddaughter right therewith her.

“I’m so lucky to have my fam-ily here,” she said. “Can you seewhy I love working here?”


BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Friday | January 13, 2012 | 3

PHOTOS COURTESY OF

BANGOR NEONTToopp:: In the 1950s, Bangor

Neon was briefly located onHenry Street. When the I-95project wiped out HenryStreet, Bangor Neon relocat-ed down the street in the oldCrowder Auto Paint Shop.Note the Esso/Webber Oilbillboard at the upper left,and the Swift’s Premium Hambillboard to its right.

MMiiddddllee:: Bangor Neon in theprocess of erecting signs forthe new Chili Pot restaurantin Ellsworth in October 1974.

BBoottttoomm:: Bangor Neonerecting a sign for Kev-Lan in


The Bangor Neon family poses with their new company sign, still under construction in theshop. From left: Ansley Hansen, her father Joel Hansen, her grandmother Grace Treworgy, and

her mother Gayle Treworgy Hansen. This 9 x 10 sign will ultimately stand 24 feet high andwill incorporate many different sign techniques the company can do, including aluminum pan-

els with routed-out letters, backed with white acrylic, push-through white acrylic letters, acolor video display, a sign with changeable faces, and LED light strips separating everything.

Bangor Neon: 64 Years — Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs


N.H. Bragg has continuouslyevolved, adapting to fit the timesand its customers’ needs. Today,it’s the regional cornerstone ofindustrial supply — and it allstarted with two men and a big-city plan.

Norris Hubbard Bragg hadworked as a blacksmith in Dix-mont for about 20 years when heand Sumner Basford relocated toBangor and established theblacksmith-supply business ofBragg & Basford on Broad Streetin 1854. With two employees andstocked with iron, steel, andblacksmith goods, business wasgood from the start.

Bragg’s son, Norris EverettBragg, joined the company in1860. Just three years later, forreasons unknown, Bragg boughtout Basford; in fact, lists detailinghow they divided their assets sur-vive today. Bragg continued thecompany as N.H. Bragg; when headmitted his son into partner-ship by 1866, it became N.H.Bragg and Son.

But Bragg died in 1867 at just52. Norris took his brotherCharles Fred Bragg, just comingof age, as a partner in 1871,renaming the company N.H.Bragg and Sons. Knowles’ BangorBusiness Almanac for 1875 notedthat the wholesale and retailcompany “has steadily grown andin addition to iron, steel andblacksmith goods, with which itstarted, it has extended into thecarriage hardware and woodwork business in which the firmcarries a full stock.” The companyhad expanded into other venues,including coal, striving to pro-vide whatever its customersrequired.

Technology helped out early,starting with regular telegramsthrough the nearby telegraphoffice. At some time in the 1880s,the company had telephone serv-ice installed; it began in June1880 through the Bangor Tele-phone Exchange, with Bell Tele-phone charging $41.98 for con-nection and a year of equipmentrental. At this point, according tothe 1882 History of PenobscotCounty, N.H. Bragg and Sonswas “the well known iron andhardware dealers of Bangor.”

CCoommmmuunniittyy aanndd GGrroowwtthhBeyond a shrewd businessman,

Charles was a community force.He served as mayor, helped estab-lish the Bangor Public Library,served as president of the BangorChamber of Commerce, and wasinvolved with the Home for AgedWomen (established 1870s) andthe Home for Aged Men (1880s),which would merge in the 1970sto become the Phillips-StricklandHouse. He was part of the Knightsof Pythias, once declining theesteemed position of supremechancellor due to his businesscommitments. In 1884, alongwith the likes of Hannibal Ham-lin, Charles and Norris werefounding members of Bangor’sfamed Tarratine Club, and Charlesonce served as its president. In theearly 1900s, he headed OronoPulp & Paper, and was one of thefirst in Bangor to own an automo-bile (with a chauffeur, even).

The turn of the 20th centurysaw changes. In 1890, it carriedeverything from shoe shapes, nailrods, and iron and steel of allshapes and sizes to rims, hubs,wheels, spokes, yokes, and more.It began phasing out coal, whichwas gone by 1900, but moreimportantly its business modelbegan changing. Instead of wait-ing for orders, it began usingsalespeople to go out and findbusiness. Henry Williams, whohad been employed since 1865 atage 17, became key to the compa-ny’s sales effort well into the 20thcentury. Williams and othersgradually expanded the sales ter-ritory until the company wascalling on customers in Mainejust about anywhere north andeast of the Kennebec River.

Charles’ son, Franklin EverettBragg, joined the company as ajunior partner in 1900; Norris’son, Roland Everett Bragg, fol-lowed a year later. When Norrisdied in 1905 at 60, Charles incor-porated the company andbecame its first president, withFranklin as treasurer.

Horses and carriages hadbegun to give way to automobilesby the end of the century, andthis led to a shift in focus. Thecompany began stocking partsfor the ubiquitous Ford Model T;after all, a store known for carry-ing carriage parts was the logicalplace for auto parts. As well, withelectricity changing the world,

the company began carrying agame-changer in the 1920s:power tools.

FFoouurr DDeeccaaddeess ooff RRaappiidd CChhaannggeeWhen Franklin’s son, Charles

Fred Bragg 2nd, started in 1932,times were tough; wages weresoon reduced, and Charles 2ndonce worked a week without pay.By then, the staff consisted ofthree salesmen, six or eightlaborers, and three or four in theoffice. Things did improve; whenHenry Williams retired in his 80safter nearly 60 years, the compa-ny gave him a pension.

By the 1930s, the companywas solidly focused on cars,much of that thanks to DonaldJ. Eames; after marrying into theBragg family, he joined thecompany and added an auto-motive counter to the store,which was key to N.H. Bragg’songoing success.

By 1945, the company had 24employees and was providing gasto welders, including runningtwo trucks to deliver weldingcylinders throughout its entirearea except for Aroostook Coun-ty. Business boomed by 1956, 56employees worked six-day weeks,and salespeople worked up to 12-15 hours per day, before the com-pany eventually closed on week-ends. Blacksmithing was virtuallygone, and the company wasknown for automotive, welding,and industrial supplies.

The 1950s saw family changes;Franklin died in 1951, Charles2nd became president, and Don-ald became vice president.Roland, who had served as treas-urer for years, also died.

Old habits were hard to break;instead of phoning when anorder wasn’t clear, it was com-mon to write a letter. G. CliftonEames later recalled an annoyedcustomer who had received sucha letter, and had called wonder-ing why someone hadn’t simplytelephoned him. By 1960, thecompany had embraced thephone, and also installed its firstIBM billing machine to increaseaccuracy and streamline theordering process.

When urban renewal hit Ban-gor in the 1960s, the Bragg build-ing was one of those targeted fordemolition. The Bragg familyfought this; they didn’t want toleave downtown, which was avery strategic location, and onewhere they’d been for 112 years.

But it turned out to be a blessingin disguise.

In March 1966, the companybroke ground for its 58,000-square-foot building in the Ban-gor Industrial Park. Over oneweekend in January 1967, thecompany moved 600,000 poundsof steel and 131 truckloads ofmerchandise to the new location.The building’s design madeunloading and stocking mucheasier, and was easily accessible tothe interstate highways. Despitethe fight against urban renewal,ultimately the new location wasmuch better.

AAuuttoo PPaarrttss aanndd BBeeyyoonnddLess than 10 years later, the

company added a 6,500-square-foot addition. By the late 1970s, itemployed 65 people. And thencame the 1980s.

John W. Bragg, great-greatgrandson of the company’sfounder, had come onboard in1965, and remembers the auto-parts expansion of the 1980s verywell. Charles 2nd had retired in1980 and Clif Eames, Donald’sson, was leading new growth.

When Bragg customer DoyleAuto Supply was about to sell itstwo stores to Bragg competitorDarling’s Auto Supply, the com-pany bought its two stores, thefirst of 12 the company wouldoperate. In 1992, N/H. Braggopened a Portland branch tocompete with auto parts there,but was quickly outmatched by

local stronghold NAPA. Thecompany scaled back auto partsin Portland by 1995, but contin-ued building up its industrialsupply there.

After years of tough competi-tion from national auto partschains, N.H. Bragg and Sons soldthat business to CarQuest,enabling the company to retire alloutstanding debt.

Under advice from a market-ing firm in 2003, the companyreturned to its roots, reflaggingitself as “N.H. Bragg.” The oldwagon-wheel logo (see the side-bar below) went away, and thefirm’s new slogan became“Industrial supplies and solu-tions since 1854” — capitalizingon the fact that, besides supplies,it was its staff ’s skill and expertisethat offered its customers whatthe big chains didn’t.

In November 2011, John Braggretired, leaving 30-year companyveteran Jon Eames, Clif ’s son, totake up leadership — the sixthgeneration of the family to runthe business.

N.H. Bragg has always adaptedand changed according to theeconomy and local needs. Thisstory only covers the basics of theits history; check out Trudy IreneScee’s in-depth book N.H. Bragg& Sons: 150 Years of Service tothe Maine Community andEconomy, which is availablethrough N.H. Bragg and can befound at the the Bangor PublicLibrary.



The company adopted a new logo in 1936, andit has quite a back story. The tale goes that a trav-eling circus was in town at some time in thelate 1800s, and one of its employeesneeded two cast-iron hubbedwagon wheels, which he orderedthrough N.H. Bragg and Sons.The company ordered themfrom the Archibald WheelCompany in Lawrence, Mass.,for which is was an exclusivedealer in Bangor (as it was formany quality suppliers), but thecircus left town by the time thewheels arrived. The wheels became asymbol of the company’s commitmentto carrying quality products, and in 1936 a wagonwheel was incorporated into the company’s logoalong with the slogan “Keeping the wheels turn-

ing since 1854.” One of the wheels is on dis-

play at the business today; the other is at the ColeLand Transportation Museum in Bangor.

Archibald was quite renowned, with the1920 Encyclopedia Americana noting

that its home of Lawrence, Mass.led the country in wooden

wheels, and that Archibald wasknown for manufacturinggovernment artillery wheels,wheels for fire engines, andautomobile wheels.

Archibald was incorporatedin 1871, when N.H. Bragg and

Sons was already 17 years old.Despite its strong reputation for

quality, it would go out of business in1931. Its exclusive representative in Bangor,however, would continue for a long time after-ward — with those wheels as symbols of qual-ity and durability.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF N.H. BRAGGLLeefftt:: Downtown Bangor in 1875. Pictured here are (from left): Charles F. Bragg, son of founder Norris Hubbard Bragg; Henry A. Williams and Collet Frost, like-ly the only employees then; and Norris Everett Bragg, Charles’ brother, who worked first with his father as “N.H. Bragg & Son.” Norris took over the businessafter his father had died, and took on his brother as a partner in 1871, just as the boy was coming of age. RRiigghhtt:: About a third of the company’s employeespose in August 1939. From left: Donald J. Eames, Omar Gerrish, Charles O. Tuck, Howard W. Libbey, Reginald E. Brooks, C. Mel Varney, Cecil H. Herring, Vic-

tor A. Viola, Charles F. Bragg 2nd, and Ugo F. Viola.

For more of the fascinatinghistory of N.H. Bragg, read

N.H. Bragg & Sons: 150 Yearsof Service to the Maine

Community and Economy bylocal writer and historian

Trudy Irene Scee, Ph.D. N.H.Bragg commissioned the

book to celebrate its 150thanniversary in 2004. It’s fullof facts, anecdotes, and pho-tos detailing the company’shistory of this company. You

can check it out at theBangor Public Library or

order at www.NHBragg.com(just search for “book”).

Left: Norris Hubbard Bragg, circa 1860, not long after he co-founded Bragg & Basford. Right: John Bragg, the fifth-genera-tion leader of the company, shortly before his retirement in

2011. His nephew, Jon Eames, has taken the lead.

WAGON WHEELS

N.H. Bragg: 158 Years, Six Generations of One Family


Margaret Cousins was bornand raised in Brooksville, butcame to Mount Desert Islandwhen her father came there tohelp build John D. Rockefeller’scarriage roads, through what isnow Acadia National Park, in1919. Margaret ultimatelyattended Northeast Harbor’sGilman School (which was torndown in 1951), where she metthe man she would marry, andthe one who would start a busi-ness that has lasted through threegenerations of her family.

Like his father, Richard Hayneswas a skilled carpenter, and helikely would have enjoyed acareer in that field. But around1924, something happened:Richard got his first automobile,a Ford Model T Roadster. He dis-covered that while he lovedwoodworking, he loved tinkeringwith cars even more. In 1927, atjust 19 years old, he openedHaynes Garage on Pine Street inNortheast Harbor, building thatgarage with money he’d madetinkering for just 25 cents perhour.

Automobiles weren’t every-where then, and there weren’tmany garages on MDI. Like allearly mechanics, Richard had tolearn by doing. That didn’t stophim, and right from the start hewas busy six days a week.

But his foray into automo-biles never quelled his love ofcarpentry. He built his firstgarage, still in use today, with anupstairs apartment where heand Maggie raised their twoboys. The garage was next doorto the house his father had built,and where Richard was raised —the house where his son Danaand his wife still live, as well aslater garages, camp houses, andother structures.

YYaannkkeeee IInnggeennuuiittyyRichard did everything from

repairing engines to body workto paint jobs. If it had a motor, hewas the go-to guy to fix it. Heeven serviced marine motors,which in those days were oftenautomobile motors adapted for

boat use, particularly for fisher-men and lobstermen who could-n’t afford pricier marine motors;Richard would usually have toget creative with those, as thereverse gear wasn’t enough toback the boat up with any speed.This meant cutting a hole in thetransmission case, installing abigger gear, and welding the caseback up.

For his first wrecker, Richardinstalled a manual hand-crankedManley’s winch… inside a 1930s-era Packard limousine. That bigold V12 was so powerful he couldtow just about any vehicle in highgear up steep hills. When a mandied plunging through the ice atJordan Pond, Richard hauled thelate-1930s pickup up through 40feet of water, all by hand crank-ing. The Manley hand-winchsurvived for some time, asRichard moved it to other vehi-cles later on.

This was typical Yankee inge-nuity for Richard, who wasknown as the go-to fix-it man forjust about anything. A famoustale from the 1930s told of how aseamstress across the street cameto him one day with a corset witha broken wire; naturally, he fixedit. Folks frequently broughtRichard things that were far out-side the automotive realm, andhe always found a way to repairthem.

Along with auto repair,Richard eventually addressed aneed on the island: storing sum-mertime residents’ vehicles,which was vital for those whospent their winters elsewherebut couldn’t take their cars withthem. So by the late 1950s,Richard began offering to storesummer residents’ vehicles. Hedidn’t have storage facilities atthe time, so he first made dealsto use vacant barns and such.This worked well until the late1960s, when a fire on MainStreet in Northeast Harborstarted in a building adjacent toone in which Richard was stor-ing 26 vehicles, many of themexpensive antiques. The firedestroyed several buildings,along with all of those storedvehicles. Richard knew he’dsoon need his own building tostore cars.

FFaammiillyy BBuussiinneessssAll along, Haynes Garage had

been a family business. His twosons, Dana and Blaine, hadworked with him since the 1950s.Blaine had quickly gotten inter-ested in small engines, such aslawn mowers and tractors, andthe business accommodatedthem. It was quite popular, grow-ing out the main garage andexpanding into its own buildingacross the street.

And, of course, his wife Mar-garet, or “Maggie” as everyoneknew her, had been involvedsince the beginning, keeping thebooks and answering the phone.But after 50 years on the job,Maggie needed a little help,which she got from Dana’s wifeLucy. They worked well together,but Lucy knew the office tele-phone belonged to Maggie; ifMaggie were in the office when it

rang, she answered it, even if shehad to make a mad dash acrossthe room. Lucy, and everyoneelse, knew not to get in the way ofMaggie and her phone.

This was at just about thesame time that Richard finallybuilt his first car-storage unit,and a few years before Danaand Lucy’s son Dan joined thebusiness as a mechanic. But thebiggest change came a decadelater, in 1986, when Lucy’sdaughter-in-law Becky joinedthe business. A year later, shehad helped bring computersinto the office for the first timeto replace manual ledgers andcumbersome typewriters.

Richard dealt with comput-ers in a different way at aboutthe same time, when the firstcars with onboard computersbegan coming into the garage.He was an old-fashioned sortwho preferred to work on theolder cars, with a particularadmiration for the Ford ModelA; even his son Dana preferredolder models. The new comput-erized cars became Dan’s areaof expertise.

In the early 1990s, Blaine sepa-rated from Haynes Garage andopened up Haynes Mower Shopin Somesville, which is in busi-ness today.

On July 2, 1995, a terribletragedy struck. While at his campon Long Pond, Richard suffered astroke that landed him in a nurs-ing home. For the last two and ahalf years of his life, the man whohad spent a lifetime workingwith his hands — as mechanicand carpenter and handyman, oneverything from clocks to cars tocorsets — was unable to do any-thing for himself. He passed awayAugust 13, 1997 at age 89.

Maggie retired in 2002 andmoved to Summit House, a nurs-ing home in Bar Harbor; when itclosed in 2003, she moved toBirch Bay, an assisted-livingapartment nearby. But less than ayear later, she fell and broke herpelvis and hip. She had surgerythat night, but the next day she

decided she no longer wantedtreatment; she knew the recoverywould be long and painful, andshe wouldn’t be able to stay atBirch Bay.

Maggie told everyone that shewas tired and that her work wasdone, and spent that day tellingeveryone what she wanted themto know — and she had manyvisitors that day. She died thatnight at about 9 p.m., entirely onher own terms. She was 91.

TTooddaayy aanndd BBeeyyoonnddA lot has changed, but in some

ways nothing has. Dan Haynesstill works on Ford Model A carstoday, along with a wide assort-ment of cars, foreign and domes-tic, ranging from brand new topredating the founding of hisgrandfather’s business in 1927.Haynes Garage has worked oncars for everyone from the Fordfamily to the Rockefellers, andeven on Martha Stewart’s Edsel.

The storage facilities havegrown. Today, four buildingstotal 24,000 square feet and canhouse 200 cars. The fourth of the104- by 55-foot buildings wasadded in 1999, and last fall Danabuilt a 70-foot addition ontoanother. The storage service ispopular with summer visitors,and the Haynes Garage crewstays busy with requested andneeded repairs and service on thestored vehicles all winter long.

Today, Haynes Garage is stillwhere it has always been, with anold-fashioned grease pit underthe twin bays. Down the street isthe second garage, with biggerdoors and hydraulic lifts.Around the corner are the stor-age buildings.

Dana Haynes took over fulloperation of the business afterhis father’s stroke. The companyhas a database of 750 regular cus-tomers, many of the summer res-idents. The garage continues tospecialize in fixing anything thatcomes through its doors, whetherit’s a 2012 Ford Focus or a 1927Ford Model A. The garage spe-cializes in hard-to-find parts andfinding places that rebuild oldparts.

There have been a fewchanges, such as in 2008 whenDana finally ceased servicingmarine motors, which had longbeen a major part of the busi-ness. But the garage continues tohandle anything that comesthrough its doors. The Haynesesregularly invest in high-techequipment to keep up with allthe new automotive technolo-gies, and they’re always learningand applying new skills.

So after 85 years of success,what’s up for the next 85 years?

“I’m not going to worry aboutsome of them,” Dana said.

Many people across severalgenerations have fond memoriesof Haynes Garage. It’s notuncommon for a customer in his70s recall coming there as a childwith his grandfather as Richardworked on a car, or for someoneto recall stopping by to chat withthe sociable Maggie. It’s at leastimpressive that, on a summer-time vacation haven like MDI,some people’s fondest memoriesinvolve a trip to the garage.

“We’re hoping that the familywill continue the business in thefuture,” Lucy said of the business.“Which I think they’re doingpretty good at now.”




The Haynes family outside the original garage on Pine Streetin Northeast Harbor. From left: Dana Haynes, son of founderRichard; Dana’s wife Lucy; Dan, their son; Becky, Dan’s wife;

and John Littlefield, their son-in-law.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HAYNES FAMILYTToopp:: Richard Haynes is at the right of this pic, posing with thewrecker he built out of a V12 Packard. He installed a Manley

hand-crank winch, which was later moved to other vehicles.The Packard was so powerful it could reportedly tow a vehicle

in high gear up a steep hill. AAbboovvee:: A shot of the originalgarage before the right-side bay was converted into an office.Richard and Maggie Haynes lived in an apartment up over the

garage. Those are Ford Model A cars in the foreground.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BENJAMIN MAGRO, WWW.BENMAGROPHOTO.COM

Richard Haynes working on a 1940 Ford “Woody” station wagon in 1990. Richard always hada reputation for working on any cars, and he always preferred the older models. But today,

Haynes Garage still services anything, from the very old to the very new. It also provides win-ter storage for cars of summer residents, which is a big part of the business.

Haynes Garage: 85 Years, Servicing Cars of All Ages


Walter S. Emerson’s businessexperience dates back to 1912,when he was in business as theEmerson Manufacturing Com-pany, making ladies’ skirts at 121Main Street. The same year, Titus& Smith, also skirtmakers, beganat the same location. It seems thetwo companies were intertwinedin some way, as they both movedto 125 Franklin Street in 1914,and both later to 123 Franklin.

In 1921, both companies weregone, and W.S. Emerson wasincorporated, initially makingladies’ wear but soon dealing in allmanner of dry goods. That firstyear, Emerson hired 21-year-oldJohn Vickery, who would be keyto shaping the company’s destiny.The Brewer native had studiedagriculture at the University ofMaine with an eye on becoming apotato farmer, having worked athis uncle’s farm in Unity andanother in Fort Fairfield.

At first, Vickery was a travelingsalesman who ultimately devel-oped sales territories in Aroost-ook County and Western andCentral Maine. Business growthand success depended on roadsales; the company called onretail shops, as well loggingcamps and other remote loca-tions, around the state. In those,travel was done by train or horseand buggy.

In 1927, the company relocat-ed to 192 Exchange Street, whereit would remain for about 40years. But when the GreatDepression hit, W.S. Emersonlost money for several years andwas on the verge of failing. Itsnervous investors wanted to liq-uidate the company and salvagesomething financially, but Emer-son and Vickery, who became thegeneral manager in 1933, con-vinced them to hold on for onemore year. After President Roo-sevelt’s policies stimulatedgrowth and ended the Depres-sion, the company had survived.

PPoosstt--DDeepprreessssiioonn GGrroowwtthhVickery’s family began to join

in the business, starting with hiswife, Eva, by 1949. When Vickerybecame president in 1950 after

Emerson passed away (andwould then acquire the companyand later purchase the company’sdowntown building), his brotherWinslow joined him. Winslow,who held an engineering degreefrom Carnegie Tech, would laterbecome instrumental in thecompany’s rebirth. He began bybuilding a new sales organiza-tion, and continued by building anew location.

When urban renewal hit in the1960s, W.S. Emerson, like somany downtown businesses,found itself forced out. So in1965, Winslow designed a 33,000-square-foot facility that was builton the Acme Road in Brewer; thecompany relocated there in 1966.Although it was a much betterspace, leaving the business hub ofdowntown Bangor for Brewer atthat time was a risky endeavor;nobody was sure the out-of-towncustomers would go to Brewer.But business boomed, in greatpart thanks to Winslow’s leader-ship and direction.

Meanwhile, Winslow’s son, JohnA. Vickery, had attended RickerCollege in Houlton for a year,served three years in the MarineCorps, and graduated from theUniversity of Maine in 1964 with acivil engineering degree. Afterthree years with a Boston engi-neering firm, John and his wife Lizreturned to Maine to join the busi-ness at its new Brewer home.

Winslow took over the firmwhen “Uncle John” Vickery

passed in 1970, and ran it untilhe passed in 1982. By then, JohnA. Vickery took the reins; hisbrother Russ, a 1970 Universityof Maine graduate, had joinedthe business in 1976 and contin-ued on as vice president. AndJohn’s son, John A. Vickery, Jr.,joined the business in 1988, rep-resenting the third generation ofVickerys there.

The 1980s and 1990s the com-pany expanded into retail, start-ing with Farrington’s in SouthChina and Miller’s Discount inCaribou. The retail businesseventually grew to eight Mainelocations with healthy growtheach year.

But retail changed dramatical-ly in the 1990s when Wal-Martcame to Maine. Miller’s storesbegan closing, with the final store

shuttering in 2008. It still exists asMiller’s Workshop, the 5,000-square-foot retail outlet at thecompany’s Brewer location,catering to working people byproviding quality name brands ataffordable prices.

CChhaannggiinngg wwiitthh tthhee WWoorrllddWith the retail world chang-

ing, W.S. Emerson had to rein-vent itself. It got into in-houseembroidering in 1992, and soonfollowed with screen printing. In2003, the company added a10,000-square-foot expansion toaccommodate more equipment.

Today, that equipmentincludes a Bridge laser cuttingsystem to produce applique work— the only company of its kindin the region using such equip-ment for this purpose. After ablank applique is applied to thefabric and a machine stitches let-ter or shape outlines, the lasercuts the excess from around it —far faster and more efficientlythan by hand.

Recently, the company addedtextile inkjet printers. Embroi-dery continues to be a mainstay,using machines with as many as15 heads that enable fast produc-tion of big orders. Whetherapplique, inkjet, or embroider-ing, if you can imagine it,chances are W.S. Emerson can doit. The company even offers logo-design services and other promo-tional work to help clients createand establish their brands.

As of Jan. 1, 2012, John VickerySr. stepped down as president,and his son, John Jr., assumed thepresidency. John Jr. leads a work-force of about 50 people, with areach across the country as itprovides custom-imprintingservices. The family remainsstrong with the company, withRuss and John Jr.’s wife, Betsy,working there.

“We’ve built a very strong repu-tation for ourselves in terms ofquality at wholesale prices andgood, fast, dependable customerservice,” said John Jr.“Our policy iscustomer satisfaction guaranteed.”

And family involvement con-tinues. John Jr.’s wife Betsy cameto work at W.S. Emerson shortlyafter becoming engaged to JohnJr. 15 years ago. Her early role wasto learn how the business couldgrow, and she has been key tomoving things forward techno-logically since her first day.

“We always are staying on thecutting edge of what we do byadding, and making things moreefficient,” she said.

She’s also deeply involved inthe community, representing thecompany on many local boardssuch as at the Bangor RegionChamber of Commerce andUMaine. “We feel it’s so impor-tant to give back,” she said.

Betsy said that every day isexciting and challenging. “But it’snothing that we can’t handle,” shesaid. “Just figure out how to do it,and navigate through it — orover it.”

Phyllis Hawkes joined thecompany 41 years ago, and she’sseen lots of changes. As the VPand general manager, she over-sees day-to-day operations andthe 40-50 employees.

“I’ve got a fantastic crew work-ing out there,” she said, and notedthere’s a strong team environ-ment. “It’s more of a family situa-tion. That’s why I’ve been here forso long: I enjoy what I do.”

John Jr. has experienced everyaspect of working with the crew.He started there in the early1980s at age 14, listing his careergoal in his eighth-grade year-book as working at W.S. Emer-son. He has worked in almostevery job: stocking, filling orders,shipping, sales, purchasing, andmanagement, so he brings awealth of experience to his newposition.

“I’ve always been proud towork here and proud to keep thefamily tradition going,” he said.“Hopefully we can keep it goingfor another generation… It’sgoing to be a challenge, and I’mlooking forward to it.

“You’ve got to have a goodteam, and you’ve got to want todo it every day,” he said. “That’swhat brings success.”

Maine’s Progressive Business Cyan Magenta Yellow


PHOTOS COURTESY OF W.S. EMERSONLLeefftt:: The first year of the new facility on the Acme Road in Brewer in 1966. At far left is Winslow Vickery; at far right is his

brother, John Vickery. John started when W.S. Emerson’s business was first formed in 1921. RRiigghhtt:: Probably the second yearof the new facility. John A. Vickery Sr., Winslow’s son and John Vickery’s nephew, is at the far right.


The current executive team. From left: Betsy Vickery, John A.Vickery Jr., John A. Vickery Sr., Russ Vickery, and Phyllis

Hawkes.

BDN PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKTToopp:: A worker pulls a screenprinted shirt of the rotating, mul-

tiarmed wheel. These machines enable the company toscreenprint many items very quickly. SSeeccoonndd ddoowwnn:: Finished

embroidered caps. TThhiirrdd ddoowwnn:: A Sierra Mist applique isstitched by multihead machines onto shirts. A laser cuts thefabric appliques; multiple layers can be added for a 3D sort

of look. BBoottttoomm:: A worker pulls a completed shirt off the tex-tile inkjet printer, which uses textile-specific inks that bond to

just about any fabric, creating vivid designs.

W.S. Emerson: 91 Years, from Hand-Made to High-Tech


Joseph Peavey reportedlyinvented many things: the haypress, the clapboard water wheel,the wood screw vise, an unspill-able inkwell, and the Peavey hoistfor pulling stumps and hoistingdam gates. But he’s best knownfor his ingenious variation on thelogger’s cant hook, which cameto be known simply as a “peavey.”It often appeared as “pevy,”“pivie,” or “pevie,” but eventuallythe Peavey name survived.

Peavey was born in 1799 inBrentwood, N.H., and by the1850s worked as a blacksmith inUpper Stillwater, Maine. At thattime, loggers worked the Mainewoods and floated logs down thePenobscot to Bangor, the lumbercapital of the world. River driversworked those log flows, and thelogs were so many that it was saidyou could walk across the riverwithout getting your feet wet.

In the spring of 1857, Peaveywas on a bridge watching driverstrying to free a difficult log jamon the Stillwater River. At thetime, the cant dog (or cant hook)was the common tool used towork logs on land, but it wasn’tas effective on floating logs. Orig-inally, its hook was stationary buteventually became swivel-mounted, enabling it to turn inall directions. The new tool,called a “swing dingle” or “swing-bail cant dog,” is likely what theriver drivers used that day.

But Peavey had an idea toimprove it. He hurried back to hisshop and had his son, Daniel,make a modified cant dog with “aclasp with lips… holes in theclasp to put a bolt through onwhich to hang a dog, or hook, andtoe-rings below the clasp to thebottom of the handle [and] a pickin the end of the handle,” accord-ing to Peavey’s great-grandson,David Howard Peavey, in writingsby Fannie Hardy Eckstorm.

Unlike the traditional cantdog, the hook only moved for-ward and backward. It enabledthe logger to grab a single log andeasily release it, and the spike onthe tip enabled digging into oth-ers. River driver William Hale

tested the prototype and declaredit a success, and thereafter itbecame the standard tool forriver drivers everywhere.

But on heading to Bangor tofile for a patent for his invention,Peavey stopped for the night at afellow blacksmith’s in Orono.After Peavey passed out from toomuch to drink, the unscrupulousblacksmith stole the sketches andpatented it first. Years later,Peavey’s grandson, James HenryPeavey, filed an improved patentfor the updated “Bangor Peavey”or “Rafting Peavey,” thus re-establishing the family namewith the tool.

AA FFaammiillyy LLeeggaaccyyAfter outgrowing his black-

smith shop, Peavey relocated toOrono, and later to Old Town,with his sons Daniel and Hiram,and continued manufacturingthe peavey. After Joseph died in1873, his grandsons, Charles A.and James H. Peavey, openedshop on Exchange Street in Ban-gor as the Bangor Edge ToolCompany, manufacturing log-ging tools — including peaveys.The company prospered, evenafter a fire on Jan. 24, 1882

destroyed $1,500 in insuredequipment.

After Charles died in Novem-ber 1891, James continued onalone. In 1910, BETC used letter-head featuring both the BETCand Peavey Manufacturing Co.name, and by the 1910-1911Bangor-Brewer City Directory, ithad relocated to Parker Street inBrewer and was using onlyPeavey Manufacturing Co.,incorporating as such in 1910.

By 1930, James had passedaway, and David Howard Peaveybecame the president of the com-pany until his death in 1944, afterwhich Walter Willey bought it.

Meanwhile, in 1947, AlmonPercival and Raymond Delanobought a steel foundry in Oak-land, which had gone intoreceivership at Depositors Trustafter World War II. They becamethe Maine Woods Tool Company,soon opening a sawmill in Madi-son which Ray’s father, LeeDelano, ran.

When Peavey Manufacturingwas for sale in 1954, Almon andRay bought it as an adjunct totheir other operation. But soon, a

pair of fires altered the entirecompany. The first destroyed thefoundry in Oakland; the seconddestroyed the Madison sawmilland woodworking shop. Any sur-viving equipment from Madisonwas relocated to an old chickenbarn in Eddington (including alathe still in use today) in 1966.

At that point, Dean and Raybought out Almon, ceasing oper-ation of Maine Woods ToolCompany and running the busi-ness entirely from the Peaveylocation in Eddington. Dean’swife worked with him in the for-mer chicken house on Route 9;the business floundered for awhile, but by 1968 was prosper-ing. The brothers moved it to anew building, and later expandedits offices and then the sawmill.

TThhee MMooddeerrnn EErraaIn 1978, after having hauled

wood to his uncles’ company asan independent trucker, RodneyBuswell Sr. came to work there.Ray and Dean owned togetheruntil mid-1980s, by which timethe company had opened a steelforge there. After Dean and hiswife Val retired in 1982, sellinghis stock back to the company.Ray and Rodney ran it togetherfor years; Ray only sold his stocka few years ago.

Today, the company continuesits steadfast commitment tousing only the highest-qualityhardwood and steel hand-forgedon site. Its products can be pur-chased through hundreds of dis-tributors and directly fromPeavey Manufacturing.

Peavey is a rare breed: a com-pany that does it all. All on onesite, workers saw logs, dry lum-ber, lathe boards, and varnishand stain the finished wood. Inits foundry, blacksmiths forge thesteel (never casting it) to makevarious tools.

The company makes canthooks, pulp hooks, timberjacks,tongs, draw shaves, shovels, post-hole diggers, pruning tools, and awide range of specialized indus-trial tools. It even makes every-thing from poles for picnic-tableumbrellas to flagpoles to unfin-ished dowels. But it still sells 15,000 peaveys every year, just

five miles downriver from wherethe legendary tool was invented.

With 35,000 square feet ofindoor space and a 10-acre yard,Peavey Manufacturing has 32employees, all there at least fiveyears. Fifteen to 25 years is notuncommon. Forge shop foremanTommy Beatham has worked atPeavey for 38 years this year,longer even than owner RodneyBuswell.

Buswell’s family is veryinvolved in the business.

Buswell’s wife is the office man-ager; his oldest son runs produc-tion, shipping, and purchasing;his youngest son oversees thesawmill and the log yard. Hisdaughter heads up the company’ssafety program, and his son-in-law heads up finishing, mill pro-duction, and maintenance.

There are also a dozen grand-children. “Hopefully they maydecided to enter into [the busi-ness] at some point,” Buswellsaid. “It’s still very much a familything.”



TToopp lleefftt:: A view up Exchange Street towards Park Street. Thearrow indicates where the Bangor Edge Tool Company waslocated. (Image courtesy of Richard Shaw.) MMiiddddllee lleefftt:: ABETC envelope postmarked Jan. 11, 1887, with a depictionof the famous peavey cant dog. (Image courtesy of SkipBrack and the Davistown Museum.) BBoottttoomm lleefftt:: An earlyphoto of the BETC on Exchange Street, run by two of JosephPeavey’s grandsons. It would later be renamed Peavey Manu-facturing Company and moved to Brewer. This photo wastaken between 1873, when BETC was founded, and 1891,when James Peavey died, leaving Charles to continue alone.From left is Daniel J. Peavey Jr., James Henry Peavey, CharlesAlbert Peavey, Ira Peavey, and unidentified.

BDN PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKTToopp:: Tommy Beatham pulls a red-hot peavey hook from the

forge. Beatham will hit 38 years at the company in 2012 —longer than anyone, including the owner. MMiiddddllee:: Harold Towle

works the sawmill carriage. BBoottttoomm:: Kevin Byers works alathe that has been in use since at least 1947, when AlmonPercival and Raymond Delano first bought a steel foundry in

Oakland out of receivership.

IMAGE COURTESY OF RICHARD SHAW

Joseph Peavey.

Peavey Manufacturing: 155 Years of a Revolutionary Tool


Sprague’s Nursery, whichenters its 65th year in 2012, hadits humble beginnings from Har-vey Sprague II, a shoe workerturned farmer turned landscaper.Sprague just might have had aninside look at his new field fromhis father, who had been involvedworking with trees in the decadebefore his son founded his land-mark business.

Sprague’s father, HarveySprague I, was born in Milbridgein 1875, and eventually moved toBangor; he first appeared in theBangor city directory in the1893-94 edition, listed as a labor-er. He married Clara by 1923, butit wasn’t until 1938 that Harvey Iwas listed as working for Jame-son Tree Experts.

His son, Harvey II, had beenemployed as a shoe worker for atime before working with hisbrother, Charles, as a farmer. Butthat changed in 1947, which wasa big year for the Sprague family.That year, Harvey I was listed ashaving retired. Harvey II was list-ed as being married to Mildred,and their first son, HarveySprague III, was born. And Har-vey II left farming to go intobusiness as a landscaper.

He launched his business on

Union Street, where the currentretail store is today. He was just aone-man show for a while,mostly shoveling gravel andloam by hand, tending the lawnshe built, and planting occasionaltrees. It seems plausible that hisfather’s work with Jameson TreeExperts might have rubbed offon him.

It was slow going at first. In1950, his occupation was listed asa trucker; he probably did dou-ble-duty to make ends meet. Buthe was soon successful enough tobuy his first tractor, a 1952 Ford.By the late 1950s, he was busyenough that he was able to starthiring employees.

At the time, most of HarveyII’s landscaping business wasresidential; there wasn’t muchcall for commercial work ofthat sort then. In fact, “land-scape gardening” was some-thing of a new field, first listedwith a business category in1927. Many men got into thebusiness; from 1927 until 1951,probably two dozen landscapegardeners were listed, with thelistings changing every year.From that era, only Harvey IIremained continuously in busi-ness as a landscaper.

Harvey II always had otherirons in the fire. Around 1963, heopened a used-car lot on thatsite, offering pay-weekly plans

for those who couldn’t affordexpensive cars, but could manage$10 or $15 a week for a qualityused car.

Harvey II died in 1971, leavingthe brothers to take over thebusiness. Their mother, Mildred,was always involved — keeping atight rein, but mostly trusting hersons to run things. At first, theyconsidered focusing on the usedcars, but the brothers saw thegreater potential with landscap-ing. It was a good call, because bythe late 1970s commercial land-

scaping took off, and they beganphasing out lawn maintenance infavor that. Commercial jobsincreased, including with suchentities as the Maine Departmentof Transportation.

In 1984, they opened theirfirst retail garden center, andwithin 10 years expanded thesuccessful venture. In the late1980s, they were buying stockfrom a local wholesaler. Butwhen that wholesaler decided tobecome a retailer, and didn’twish to sell to his competitor, thebrothers were left without a sup-plier. The solution: Build green-houses and grow their ownstock. Their retail business flour-ished, eventually becoming morelucrative than landscaping.(Their former supplier, however,found little retail success andultimately folded.)

Growth came steadily, with thebrothers expanding the retailcenter in the early 1990s andadding a climate-controlledgreenhouse with window andceiling panels that auto-open and-close according to the tempera-ture. Later, they added the cov-ered area out front. A finalexpansion in 2004 brought theretail center to its current config-uration.

Today, Sprague’s employs 25 to45 people, depending on the timeof year. It still does residentialand commercial landscape work,and plows snow for clients dur-ing the winter. Its wholesale busi-ness flourishes; the companysupplies to landscapers all overMaine — locally, on the coast,and up north.

The retail business continuesto boom with 35,000 square feetof greenhouse space, acres ofgrowing area, and a retail centerwith everything: seed starting,bulb supplies, bird feed, mulches,soils, clay pots and planters, giftideas from gardening gifts to hol-iday goods, and much more.Leading up to Christmas,Sprague’s does steady businesswith trees and even a mail-orderwreath business.

Although Sprague’s closesafter Christmas and doesn’t re-open until April, the work isalways ongoing. By February,they’re already carefully planningthe new season. Seeds are plantedfor the summer crop by March inclimate-controlled greenhouses,burning a thousand gallons ofheating oil a week to keep theyoung plants warm and safe. Thisis critical to having plants at theright stage when the retail storeopens for business; everythinghas to flower at the right time inorder for it to sell.

The retail store opens in timefor Easter lilies. The key busy sea-son runs from April throughJune, three months of intense,

madcap work. Even then, they’realready planting the fall crop, anda busy autumn month followsbefore about five weeks ofChristmas trees and wreaths.

Sprague’s will continue inno-vating in the future, although co-owner Harvey Sprague III gets alittle nervous with the currenteconomy. “Right now it’s a situa-tion that’s pretty much scary foranybody in business — youdon’t know what’s going to hap-pen,” he said. “I’m not overlyoptimistic when it comes todepending on our leaders to leadus out of this mess. The bestthing they could do is get out ofthe way and let free enterpriseand capitalism run its course —and it will. Supply, demand —let it go.”

Dan, who lives next door tothe retail shop and is the on-call man in case the heatingsystem fails in the greenhousein the cold months, is a bitmore optimistic.

“I don’t see any end in sightyet,” he said. “We try to maintaina lot better quality than you’d getin a lot of other places. That, andwe try to keep moving ahead.”




Some of the Sprague’s crew poses for a photo during the 2011 holiday season.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SPRAGUE FAMILYTToopp lleefftt:: The oldest known photo of Sprague’s. Dan’s dog, Patrick, posed in front of the sign in 1966. TToopp rriigghhtt:: Loading

plants into a car in the 1980s. At right, Mildred Sprague, the widow of founder Harvey Sprague Jr., looks on. AAbboovvee lleefftt:: Thesons of the founder pose outside their new garden center in the late 1980s. At left is Dan Sprague; at right is Harvey

Sprague III. The brothers run the business today. AAbboovvee rriigghhtt:: Mildred and Harvey watch as Dan (unseen) operates someheavy equipment to remove a tree.

This Maine’s Progressive Business supplementwas produced and published by the

Writer and Layout: David M. FitzpatrickPhotos: David M. Fitzpatrick, and many submitted by others

SSaalleess:: Jeff Orcutt Cover Design: Michelle Prentice

If you’d like to advertise in next year’s Maine’s ProgressiveBusiness, contact Jeff Orcutt at (207) 990-8036 or

[email protected].

Sprague’s Nursery & Garden Center: 65 Years of ‘Growing’

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SPRAGUE FAMILY

Constructing greenhouses in the 1980s.

Maine's Progressive Business 2012

Documents

Transcript of Maine's Progressive Business 2012