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Plant of Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Co.

BROWN & SHARPE MFG. CO., Makers of Machinery and Tools. -- In manufacturing interests Providence is one of the leading cities in the country. There are various causes for this supremacy, among which are the transportation facilities by water and rail, and the enterprise and resources of the leading manufacturers. The largest concern in its line, machinery and tools, is the Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co., whose works are located on Promenade and Holden streets. The foundation of this business was laid in 1833 by Messrs. David and Joseph R. Brown, father and son. In 1841 the senior partner retired, and the son continued as sole proprietor until 1853, when Mr. Lucian Sharpe became a partner under the firm name of J. R. Brown & Sharpe. In 1868 the present company was incorporated. The works comprise three machine shops, one of which was erected in 1873, extended in 1878, and now contains three floors and a basement, 51 x 291 feet, with two wings measuring 75 and 50 feet, respectively, making about 83,000 square feet of floor space; another, built in 1888, four stories high, 195 x 51 feet, with a wing 41 feet long, and containing 35,000 square feet of floorage area used for manufacturing purposes, besides storage, carriage, reading, and lecture rooms; while the third building is 97 x 50 feet, four stories high. There is also a blacksmith shop 130 x 50 feet, and a foundry, built in 1880, which measures 67 x 265 feet. The machine shops are fire-proof. The entire plant covers an area of 10 1/ 2 acres of land and comprises over four acres of floor space. The works are finely equipped in all departments, and are at all times open to visitors. The leading specialties are universal and plain milling machines, grinding, screw and tapping machines, vertical and horizontal chucking machines, gear-cutting machines, engine and hand lathes, cutters for gear wheels and for taps, reamers, twist drills, irregularly formed sewing-machine and gun parts, milling and screw-slotting cutters, surface plates, micrometer calipers, and standard gauges. Iron castings and patented articles in the line of machine work are made to order, and all varieties of gear and index cutting form a part of the business. Standard gears are kept in stock. The foreign branch of the business is extensive, and medals were awarded this company at International Exposisions: Paris in 1867, Vienna in 1873, Philadelphia in 1876, and Paris in 1878. They were given the Grand Prize at Paris in 1889, and in 1890 they received a gold medal at the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. The tools exhibited in each instance were taken directly from stock and no special selection or preparation made for the exhibitions. The Brown & Sharpe Mfg. Co. is also interested in the firm of Darling, Brown & Sharpe, which occupies a portion of their buildings and manufactures United States standard rules, patent hardened cast-steel try-squares, the American standard wire gauge, and a variety of tools for accurate measurement. Darling, Brown & Sharpe received leading medal at the International Expositions: Paris, 1867; Vienna, 1873; Philadelphia, 1876; Paris, 1878; Paris, 1889.

Industries and Wealth of the Principal Points in Rhode Island, being the city of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, Newport, Narragansett Pier, Bristol & Westerly.
New York: A. F. Parsons Publishing Co., 1892



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