MADE
IN HAMILTON
19TH CENTURY
INDUSTRIAL TRAIL
SITE
24
F. G. BECKETT ENGINE AND BOILER
WORKS, c. 1855
The
Beckett Engine and Boiler Works once covered almost this entire block. Its 109-foot
tall chimney was a local landmark. One city newspaper was proudly reported in
1863 that Beckett steam engines provided the power for 21 local factories. They
also built boilers and engines for agricultural, forest and marine use.
Frederick
set out on an ambitious expansion programme after becoming the firm's senior
partner a few years later. The foundry's workforce grew to 120 workers between
1863 and 1871. Like many factory bosses of the 19th century, the Becketts did
not don white collars once success was achieved. One reporter happily noted
that the Becketts, themselves "mechanics of the first order," were
a common site on the shop floor, "Mingling in the busy throng with upturned
sleeves and exercising a personal supervision of the business."
Hamilton's reputation as a major Canadian textile centre began in 1882 when the Ontario Cotton Company began production in the renovated remains of the Beckett Foundry. Under the name Canadian Cottons, this company tore down the old foundry in 1920 and erected a large new plant a block to the north. This mill operated until 1959.
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