Old Insulator Company Photographs
Findlay Electric Porcelain Co.
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Findlay Electric Porcelain Co.,
located in Findlay, Ohio, was originally constructed by the Bell Pottery Co. in
1889. In
1901, Bell Pottery, owned by W. M. Bell, started making small wall tubes for
electrical wiring.
Arthur S. Watts, a prominent ceramist, started his career at Bell Pottery
in Findlay before leaving in 1903 to become the general manager of the New
Lexington High Voltage Porcelain Co. when that company started construction of
the plant in 1903.
Bell Pottery Co. was sold to the United States Electric Porcelain Co. in
1906.
Findlay Electric Porcelain Co. was
incorporated in 1910 by J. E. Bicknell (as president) and other Findlay men and
leased the plant from U.S. Electric Porcelain Co. for several years. “Findlay”
soon became one of the largest manufacturers of all types of standard porcelain
items and specialty electrical porcelains. This company was one of those merging
to form General Porcelain Company in 1927.
At some point in time, the company
commenced the manufacture of wet process pin-type insulators, all of which were
telephone and low-voltage power distribution styles.
The
standard Findlay glaze on pin-types was a muddy chocolate brown, but they made insulators
with other glazes -- white, blue, yellow, butterscotch, etc. The markings used
on their pin-types consisted of the FINDLAY trademark (unregistered) in various
forms and a Diamond-F, both with or without the insulator catalog numbers.
Compared with insulators made by the larger manufacturers, specimens with any of
the Findlay markings are relatively scarce.
The photo of all employees was taken on April 11, 1913. (Courtesy of Paula McKibben, Pandora-Gilboa Local School Library)