This week, we continue looking at the old factory complex in Ferry Village, where RiverPlace Apartments is now located. The first building was constructed in 1892 and opened as a plush factory in early 1893, only to close down almost immediately due to lack of capital. The next business to move in was the bicycle factory of the John P. Lovell Company. It began manufacturing bicycles there in 1895, then expanded the factory complex as it added new product lines, then failed in late 1899. Last week we looked at Marine Hardware that originally opened in 1903 as a manufacturer of small marine hardware and ship fittings and sold its assets to a new company, Maine Steel Products Co., in 1928.

Maine Steel Products Co. was very similar to Marine Hardware. It operated from the same factory and its management team was similar, with George C. Soule serving as president of both companies. Although William Richardson had left the company, John B. Woodbury remained, serving as the vice president and superintendent.

Maine Steel Products still sold marine hardware and ship fittings, however, it also began to manufacture snowplows, a very capital-intensive product line. The company, through George Soule and John B. Woodbury, obtained numerous patents in the 1930s for snowplow designs and for snowplow adaptors.

The company had one more name change in 1937, when a new corporation was formed. Maine Steel Products Co., of which George Soule was president, sold its property and business to Maine Steel, Inc., in April, 1937, and George Soule was the president of the new corporation, as well. Again, the reasons for the creation of the new company appear to be related to the need for additional capital for a new venture.

A 1939 newspaper article noted that the company’s business, based largely on the sale of snowplows and attachments, had suffered in prior years due to mild winters. They had responded by investing heavily in the creation of a new product, the Sargent overhead shovel, which was essentially a dirt shovel that could be used in all four seasons. This piece of equipment was designed to be mounted on a tractor and could be used for a variety of purposes. According to the news article, “It loads earth, snow, coal and other kinds of loose material with no overhead shovel; removes trees, roots and all; and even tears up old hard-surface roads by the addition of a simple device especially made for it. Known as the Sargent Overhead Shovel, it is really several machines in one, operated by one man. And its sponsors insist it is one of the important developments perfected in the Maine manufacturing field in recent years.”

Maine Steel was a major manufacturer in South Portland when World War II broke out and the United States entered the war. Last week, we discussed a government’s need for funding during wartime – some of which comes in the way of taxes and war bonds. Another concern of a government would be resources – if there are no idle manufacturing resources, how would the government get industries to start producing for the war effort?

Of course, by taxing citizens and/or having them invest in war bonds, those citizens now have less discretionary money to buy consumer goods and, with less demand for consumer goods, it makes it much more likely for manufacturers to go after government contracts. In the case of Maine Steel, although the company had moved into the manufacture of snowplows, they had a long history of manufacturing marine hardware. What a perfect match, with the large shipyards being formed in South Portland, to have Maine Steel producing some of that material at the Ferry Village factory. By September, 1941, it was reported that 85 percent of Maine Steel’s business was now filling defense contracts.

With defense contracts leading to a booming wartime business at the South Portland plant of Maine Steel, Soule saw the opportunity to expand the operation. A new corporation (Steel Products Corporation, with Soule as its president) was formed and, in May, 1943, bought the mill at Mallison Falls in Windham where they began operation. In 1945, ownership of the Mallison Mill was transferred from Steel Products Corp. to Maine Steel and, also in 1945, Maine Steel purchased the Keddy Mill in Windham, adding yet another location for its manufacturing operations.

The year 1946 brought about the end of Maine Steel’s time at the former plush mill property in Ferry Village. The company suffered a temporary setback as a result of problems in the coal industry that year. A coal strike led to the government stepping in to safeguard coal supplies. Additionally, railroads (which also used coal for fuel) limited their runs, leading to material procurement issues for many industries.

With a need for coal and other materials, Maine Steel was one of the first businesses affected, temporarily laying off workers while issues were being resolved. Since the end of World War II, it also had a tough time finding large customers for its marine hardware line. The company decided to cut its losses in South Portland and focus on its Windham operation. In September, 1946, Maine Steel moved some of its equipment to Windham, but sold the South Portland factory (with contents related to the marine hardware line) to Maine Specialty Co. That company was led by Walter S. Story, who had been the general manager of Maine Steel’s South Portland operation. Maine Specialty then auctioned off the machinery and inventory and leased the factory to Portland Copper & Tank Works, Inc.

Maine Steel, now located only in South Windham, was flailing in late 1948 as business was slow and workers were laid off. The company had sold the Mallison Mill, so only had the Keddy Mill property left. In March, 1949, due to an unresolved dispute with the IRS, dating back to its wartime business, Soule made the tough decision to auction off about two-thirds of the company’s machinery and drastically reduce the size of the company.

According to an article in the Portland Sunday Telegram, “Sargent Overhead Shovels are in use all over the world today, Soule said, and it is not intended to leave them ‘fatherless.’ Maine Steel will continue to manufacture them and supply repair parts for the equipment it has sold. It will retain enough machinery to produce a ‘modest supply’ of the shovels and accessories under its reduced capacity.”

How Soule was able to keep Maine Steel alive is likely a testament to his business acumen. When the shipyards had closed in South Portland at the end of World War II, the Greater Portland Public Development Commission was created to find a way to use the shipyard land and buildings to create jobs here. The commission sought out industrial companies to move to the former shipyard. It was in the very early 1950s that Soule ended up moving Maine Steel to one of the large warehouses in the old West Yard, where they developed new business, new products, and continued in operation into the early 1990s.

After Soule moved the business back to South Portland, he ended up retiring. He died in 1957. An interesting side note is that the new owner of the company was Douglas Ramsay, who had taken a job at Maine Steel as a young man. By 1943, he had become a foreman at Maine Steel and he married Soule’s daughter, Barbara, who was working in the office there. Ramsay ended up the president and owner of Maine Steel from 1955 to 1978.

Note: I would like to again recognize Jackie Dunham for her ongoing help with the research that we do at South Portland Historical Society. Jackie is a talented genealogist who volunteers her time to proactively seek out records that are helpful in gaining a better understanding of the people and places in South Portland’s past. Thank you, Jackie!

Volunteers needed: South Portland Historical Society is preparing to reopen its museum at Bug Light Park in May. We are currently seeking volunteers to help with giving museum tours and running the gift shop. Volunteers typically cover a three-hour shift each week. If you might be interested in volunteering and would like to learn more about it, please reach out to us at 207-767-7299 or by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com.

Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.