Foundations and geneology
A heritage of Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction, Architecture, Arts and culture, Media
1800s Early Manufacturing: from Salem Gibraltars Confectionery to Iron Bridges
The founding of Ye Olde Pepper Companie—1806, America's oldest commercial candy company, manufacturing Salem Gibraltars. Founded by Mary Spencer, a confectioner born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1759, who survived the shipwreck of the sailing yawl Jupiter after the vessel, bound for New York City, struck an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland. She settled in Salem, Massachusetts.
1830: On its silver jubilee, her son, Thomas Spencer (b. 1793, Coventry), sold the company to the Pepper family.
1880s Engineering and construction
The Oregonia Bridge Company was formed in 1896 in Lebanon, Ohio, evolving from the blacksmith shop of Bradbury and Spencer. The USA-born, second-generation brothers of Thomas and Charles Spencer are at the helm. The company built its first iron bridge in 1888. The organisation became a significant builder of county bridges and moved to a larger factory in Lebanon, Ohio, in 1903. It supported the World War I effort by providing ship-building parts. It was ultimately acquired by the Dave Steel Company in 1950, which continues to operate today as a Dave Steel, a Walters Company holding.
Key Milestones
1888: The firm, then known as Bradbury and Spencer, built its first iron bridge, marking a shift from a blacksmith shop to bridge construction.
1896: The company was renamed the Oregonia Bridge Company to reflect its growth and specialization in bridge building.
1903: The company moved to a larger factory in Lebanon, Ohio, as it outgrew its original facility.
World War I: The Oregonia Bridge Company contributed to the war effort by supplying components for ship construction.
1950: The company was acquired by the Dave Steel Company, a firm that still operates today.
The Oregonia Bridge Company played a local role in the Good Roads Movement by providing essential transportation links. It is recognized for its local significance in the history of transportation, with its structures serving as vital connections for communities. The company's history is associated with a master bridge builder, and its work is noted for the construction of simple span, riveted steel through truss bridges.
1950s Architecture and Museums
Hazel Spencer Phillips, daughter of Charles Spencer and heir to the Oregonia Bridge Company, became the founder of the Warren County Historical Society (WCHS), served as its curator and later as its director. She wrote extensively on Ohio history, including books on the Golden Lamb Inn, traditional architecture in Warren County, local banking and the Shakers.
Warren County Historical Society (WCHS): Phillips
establishment of the WCHS, which is now known as the Harmon Museum.
Phillips authored books on the history of Warren County, Ohio and the Shakers
- The Golden Lamb: An Authentic History of Ohio's Oldest Inn
- Traditional architecture, Warren County, Ohio
- Banking in Warren County, Ohio
- Richard the Shaker