Acorn Brassworks in Chicago in 1904

These nine photos of James Seaton Knight's business in Chicago, Illinois are presented full size at about 7 x 9 inches at 200ppi with full jpeg resolution, and nothing has been done to change them in any way. They are historic documents and appear to have been taken in 1904. The calendar in the office photo has been scanned, greatly enlarged and sharpened and thus it appears to be January of 1904. The Acorn Brassworks originally made parts for gas lighting fixtures, but apparently also made parts for pressure lamps and later even electric lamps. Sometime later the business became the Knight Soda Fountain Co. Any of these photos may be right-clicked and saved to your hard drive for printing, education or enjoyment, and such a photo will be a digitized replica of the original.

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Acorn Brass #1. James Seaton Knight on the left and unknown man on the right. The calendar says that it is January 1904. James Knight would then be 29 years old. ----- James was in Chicago by April 22, 1891, as he was not in the census in London, Ontario, Canada with the rest of the family. When first in Chicago he lived with uncle Kenneth James McLennan, and Uncle Kenneth secured him a job with Swift & Co. at the Chicago stockyards as a night watchman (age 15), and later dynamo tender and wireman (letter of Kenneth McLennan, 1892). In 1895, with brother-in-law John Arthur Radford he started his first business and after buying out Radford in 1896, went into partnership with three men which partnership was dissolved in 1902. (Either first, second or both businesses were known as Acorn Brassworks.) J.S. Knight then became associated with a new group of men and his firm consolidated with the American Tank Co. In 1907 J.S. Knight severed his connection with the former business partners, and started over again as the Knight Light Co. with R. J. Collins as associate. This business eventually became the Knight Soda Fountain Co., building soda fountains which were then sold to drugstores "on time", so accounts receivable were an important asset to the company. The soda fountain company was sold to Bastian and Blessing Co. in 1933 and the price included stock in Bastian Blessing.

acorn brass