ELEVATOR FIRM HAD INTERESTING
START
Thursday January 4, 1978
#1 - The South
Poplar Street building where Davis' first conversion unit was installed.
It was the second location for the Davis & Newcomer Company. Pictured
are (left to right) Paul Newcomer, Tom Corner, Harold Davis and Lyle
Copley.
PIX #2 - Present
location of Davis & Newcomer on Columbus Avenue.
PIX #3 - The conversion
unit designed by Harold Davis
PIX #4 - The elevator
in George's warehouse which was the first converted to the Davis design.
Davis & Newcomer
Elevator Co. isn't Fostoria's oldest or largest manufacturer ...and
it didn't start out manufacturing elevators...at least not perse.
And, it may be
that few Fostorians know how the company happened to be formed. It seems
to me to be an interesting story which the readers of Potluck would
like to see.
Back in 1920,
N.E. George, one of Fostoria's enterprising business men, whom older
residents will remember, had a wholesale frit business, located on south
Poplar Street adjacent to the Nickel Plate railroad tracks. He advertised
himself as "The Banana King". He sold fuit of all kinds and brought
it into Fostoria in carload lots. The Poplar Street building, still
standing, is where George's warehoused his products.
Back then, Harold
Davis, one of the original partners in Davis & Newcomer, was doing electrical
work, George inquired of Davis if he could electrify his hand-operated
elevator in the Poplar Street building.
ELETRIC CONVERSION
UNIT
Davis who was
mechanically as eletrically inclined from boyhood, put his mind to work
on George's inquiry and soon came up with the solution. He told George
he could do the job and it would cost $250. George told him to go ahead
and if it worked he would pay him the stipulated price.
Of course it worked,
and it was the first of many assemblies that were eventually manufactured
to convert hand-operated to eletrically operated elevators in this area
and the adjacent states. The original device is still in working order.
Davis & Newcomer
was not formed immediately, after the first device was put together
by Davis. At about that time, Fostoria Sales & Contracting Co. was formed
to do construction work in Fostoria. Both Harold Davis and Paul Newcomer,
another Fostorian, became involved in it, but the new company was not
successful and it was then 1921, that Davis and Newcomer considered
the elevator device a more stable and lucrative market, so they broke
away and formed their company.
FIRST LOCATION
N. MAIN
Their first location
was above the George Fink Plumbing Shop at 304 N. Main St. The location
was where the Professional Building is now. They outgrew the upstairs
room, and then took over the South Poplar Street building where N.E.
George had operated, he had gone into other pursuits.
Davis and his
partner Newcomer, started searching our prospective customers for their
elevator conversion unit. They combed Fostoria, Findlay, Tiffin and
other towns in this area...going down streets and alleys to locate buildings
with elevators...knowing that they probably were hand operated. And
their efforts paid off. The conversion unit they made was well worth
the price and much cheaper than a new electrically operated elevator.
COMPLETE LINE
ELEVATORS
One photo here
shows the conversion unit which led and established Davis & Newcomer
in the elevator business and eventually the manufacture of a line of
electric elevators for homes, business and industry. Another photo shows
the elevator on which first conversion unit was installed at the George
warehouse. Abe, son of George, appears in photo.
I'm sure you'll
believe it when I say Harold Davis has an elevator in his home, which
gets used between 13,000 and 14,000 times per year, according to the
counter which records each up and down trip it makes.
In 1930, Davis
& Newcomer moved to the present location on Columbus Avenue, where it
continues to operate under the ownership of Rikhard Laiho. The business
was sold in 1962, when the partners retired from active business.
Paul Newcomer
passed away in 1969. Davis' old friends still find him very active for
his age. He is about town and the Elks Club every day. I had anticipated
using Davis' photo with this story, but his modesty precluded it.
SIDELIGHTS TO
STORY
There are some
interesting sidelights to this story.
Harold Davis informed
me that the Columbus Avenue building was probably the first totally
fireproof structure of its kind in Fostoria, having been poured concrete
construction throughout.
Prior to taking
over the Columbus Avenue building it was the location of a unique business
for Fostoria...a company called Allen's Red Tame Cherry. The product
they manufactured was a non-carbinated soft-drink made from fresh cherries
and was dispensed at soda fountains and wherever such beverages were
sold.
It was distributed
throughout the U.S. and Canada. I visited the plant as a boy, and recall
that cherry leaves were also hauled to the plant for use, so I assume
that they imparted something to the concoction.
Generally, places
selling the popular drink displayed a statue approximately two feet
tall of a girl with head tilted up and hand poised above head about
to lower a delicious appearing red cherry into her mouth.
Entwined in this
story, quite naturally, is N.E. George, his family, and more about his
other business persuits. That's a story for another time.
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