Church Furniture Co. (1894)

KELLY, WALSH

Posted By: Nettie Mae (email)
Date: 2/4/2024 at 01:49:49

Source: Clinton Weekly Age, Page 7, Oct. 5, 1894

The Church Furniture Company, as was noticed in the last issue of the AGE, is a new corporation to do business in Clinton.
It is incorporated with a large capital -- $150,000, and will manufacture church and school, office and other furniture, doing a general business in this line. The incorporators are well known and energetic business men of Clinton, who have the reputation of pushing to a successful finish any enterprise they engage in. They are Messrs. J. A. Kelly, E. C. Walsh, J. W. Walsh and M. A. Walsh. The business commenced on the 1st day of September and is to continue twenty years, with power of renewal.
The capital stock is divided into 1,500 shares, the same to be paid for not less than twenty-five per cent when issued and the balance on call of directors. The board consists of five stockholders, to be elected tri-annually on the second Monday in October, the first consisting of the incorporators, who selected the following officers: President - J. A. Kelly; vice president - M. A. Walsh; secretary - E.C. Walsh; treasurer - W. J. Kelly.

Source: Clinton Weekly Age, Page 6, Dec. 21, 1894

CHURCH FURNITURE CO. -- LARGE ORDERS ON HAND - WILL BUILD A SAW MILL To Cut Hard Wood Lumber from a 600 Acre Purchase - Churches Being Furnished Now.
There are not many people in Clinton who yet realize what the enterprise and energy of a few well known business men is doing for the city in one line of manufacturing. The factory referred to is that of the Church Furniture Company. Recently an AGE reporter in company with Mr. J. A. Kelly, of the factory, in passing through the factory and looking at the work under way, began asking questions which resulted in his receiving the following very pleasing information; pleasing because showing prosperity, the result of careful and energetic management, and also pleasing because it shows what effort is being made in Clinton business men to increase the manufacturing industries, thereby giving employment to labor the year round and also prominence to the city abroad.
Passing into the finishing room the AGE was shown one order about completed for pews and altar for a church in Clarion, Iowa. There, occupying the greater part of the large room, was the complete furniture for a Catholic church. Modern style double and single pews of gothic architecture, with one of the prettiest altars one could imagine, built in this very attractive fashion for a church. The broad base, somewhat massive, yet symmetrical, was already finished and opposite it, to be placed upon it when in position, the altar with gothic corners and towering above quite a pinnacle, also in gothic fashion, the trimmings, panels and corners, doors and other similar features of the altar being in the same beautiful design. All this furniture is made from the native oak finished in hard oil commonly known as antique oak, and though so pretty and tasty and being also the complete furniture for an entire church, it is being built at an extremely price of $800. It is now completed and will be shipped today to the edifice it is to be erected in. It is a job any factory might well be proud to send out as a sample of their work.
In the drafting room where draftsmen were busy drawing plans, was one set of plans about completed for a $2,000 altar to be placed in St. Paul's church at Burlington. This job consists of a main altar with two smaller side altars. It will be finished in white enamel and the ornaments will be covered with 22 karat gold. This is also of the gothic design and when completed will be one of the most beautiful altars in any church in the west.
Passing along still further, workmen were found busy on another contract for building pews for a church at Eagle Grove.
Still another contract was for three altars for a church at Grand Mound.
A lot of furniture is also contracted for and will be built soon for a church at Maurice, Ia.
The Church Furniture Company have several other contracts they are about ready to commence work on, with more prospective contracts which they have reason to think they will secure shortly.
At present the Church Furniture Company are employing about twenty-five men, but about the first of the year they expect to increase their force to seventy-five men so that they may be able to complete contracts when promised. Although this large structure, which covers more square feet of ground than any other building in Clinton, was well supplied with modern machinery, yet the management desired to be fully abreast of the times and for six weeks they have been busy about the factory putting in the latest and most improved machinery that money could buy, and have now everything necessary to do any kind of fine cabinet and inside work of buildings that any architect may design, having rotary saws, polishers, planers, mortising machines, sanders, a complete finishing room, a room especially arranged with a uniform yet very high degree of heat, for glueing; a large dry kiln in which lumber can be thoroughly seasoned in twenty-four hours, and all the other necessaries for doing the best of work.
Yet they are not satisfied and recently purchased
600 ACRES OF HARD WOOD TIMBER
in the vicinity of Green Island, up the river, and are now building a mile of track from the Milwaukee's Dubuque line into this timber. They will at once put a large force of men there chopping down the trees and cutting them into logs, which will be shipped by rail to Clinton, where they will be sawed into lumber; work will commence very soon on a complete hard wood saw mill for the Church Furniture Company's plant on Eleventh avenue west of Fourteenth street.
When this saw mill is completed they will be able to let a committee select the timber standing in the forest, from which they may desire furniture for their church, and with modern appliances will be able, in one or two months, from the green tree in the forest, to build a thoroughly seasoned hardwood piece of furniture finished even more elaborately than the one noted above - in white enamel and virgin gold.
It is their intention also to start a hard wood fuel yard in the vicinity of the works.
Their new tract of land just purchased contains many of the different kinds of wood so popular just now for furniture, including oak, elm, birch, hickory, maple and other native timbers.
The AGE finds no greater pleasure than to write of the industries of Clinton, the labor giving industries, and holds that men who give their time and intelligence and wealth to the industries which furnish labor for such variety of talents, means of sustenance for so many, are among the world's greatest philanthropists, and it is with especial pride that the Church Furniture Company of Clinton is mentioned because so much of its present prosperity and the certainty that they will need to enlarge upon the present plant, has been accomplished within the past few months. -- An altar from an acorn grew.