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52:. The company had its beginnings in 1898, in buildings constructed in 1890 for a shoe business, and was incorporated in 1901. Old Town entered the canoe market as a builder of canvas-covered wooden canoes. In the latter half of the 20th century, the company adopted more modern materials to maintain competitiveness. The company's plant was located along the
91:, the Grays were not canoe builders themselves, but were entrepreneurs who hired others to design and build their canoes. The Old Town factory on Middle Street was purchased on October 23, 1901 by brothers Herbert and George Gray along with George Richardson. It was run as a family business until 1974.
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Old Town’s trademark wood and canvas canoes have never gone out of production, although they are no longer built at Old Town Canoe. With the closing of the factory at Old Town, Maine, the company contracted with Island Falls Canoe, owned by Jerry
Stelmok of Atkinson, to build and maintain its wooden
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The original plant buildings were abandoned after the company moved out, leaving empty buildings lined with asbestos that were difficult to sell. In the end, city officials decided the cost of rehabilitating the complex was too prohibitive and the decision was made to demolish the buildings. The city
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In 1910, Old Town purchased the
Carleton Boat and Canoe Company. When the Carleton factory on South Main Street in Old Town burned on May 17, 1911, all of their canoe building was consolidated with Old Town Canoe. Old Town continued to print Carleton catalogs and sell Carleton canoes into the early
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and bark canoes in the 1870s and "appears to be the only one of the batteaux and/or bark builders who switched to building canvas canoes and as such was the only one who brought any previous boat building experience to the industry." In addition to White and
Carleton, there were several smaller
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on the floor of the canoe at each end. Build records contain specific information regarding construction of each boat or canoe, including the dates each part of the build-process was accomplished, the date it was shipped and its final destination.
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manufacturing was added to the production facility as part of the parent company's consolidation and streamlining efforts. Old Town was to gain 48 jobs as the parent company cut an estimated 90 in its hometown of Racine, Wisconsin.
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210,999 or less has been scanned and can be accessed by providing the number either to Wooden Canoe
Heritage Association volunteers online or by contacting the Old Town company. A serial number is located on the upper face of the
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In 1917, Old Town entered the sportfishing market with the introduction of a square-sterned model for the "detachable motor" that was gaining popularity. By 1923, they became the first distributor of
Johnson outboard motors.
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Benson Gray, a descendant of the founders of Old Town Canoe, leads a tour of canoes on the green at the Annual
Assembly of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, which featured Old Town's contributions to canoeing in
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In 1905 a court dispute, Old Town Canoe v. William C. Chestnut, was heard over whether enticements to immigrate were given to skilled canoe laborers from Old Town who went to Canada's
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companies building canvas-covered canoes in the town of Old Town when the Old Town
Company began its venture. Carleton and White were later bought by the Old Town Canoe Company.
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Kelly
Grindle, vice president for marine electronics and watercraft at Johnson Outdoors, in an article by Haskell, Meg, “Old Town Canoe Celebrates Expansion, Move to New Site,
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The first canoe built by Old Town Canoe was constructed in 1898 behind the Gray hardware store in Old Town, Maine. Unlike the pioneering canoe businesses established by
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to help move the project forward. An extensive photographic record will be sent to the Maine
Historic Preservation Commission. Demolition began in March 2014.
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canoe manufacturer. It was the leading manufacturer in the world before competitors such as
Grumman pressured it by adopting aluminum for manufacture after
110:. White's brother-in-law, E.L. Hinckley, became his working partner and provided the capital to open a large shop in Old Town, employing several men. The
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The Old Town Canoe Company "is one of the few Maine businesses to have achieved legendary status nationally". Old Town was featured by the
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in canoe manufacture (called "Oltonar" by Old Town for many years), an ABS composite plastic. This successfully competed with
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1940s, thus creating a dual system of distribution that permitted them to have more of their products in the marketplace.
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There are a lot of Old Town Canoes out there, and they last forever. It is a part of our heritage. It will never go away.
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The Wood and Canvas Canoe, by Jerry Stelmok and Rollin Thurlow, pp. 24-25, Harpswell Press, Gardiner, Maine, 1987,
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In 1954 approximately 130 workers went on strike in a dispute over wages that topped out at about $ 1.08 an hour.
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296:, received Old Town number 72176 in September 1922. It is a 15-foot Common Sense grade Fifty Pound Model canoe.
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Most of the individual records for Old Town's canoes and boats built prior to 1976 still exist. Information on
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and fibre glass canoe makers who nearly put many of the handcrafted wood and canvas builders out of business.
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OLD TOWN CANOE STORY TRACES RISE OF A CULTURE Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland, ME) December 27, 1998 Page 8E
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The company began making kayaks in 1995. In 2000 the company was making more kayaks than canoes.
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and his friend Walter Port paddled on the 2,250 mile adventure described in Sevareid's book
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257:. They were serial numbers 183635, 184310, 184314, 184380, 184432, 184434, and 184739.
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Tux Turkel "Course Correction" Maine Sunday Telegram (Portland, ME) September 7, 2003
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Local News | Old Town to gain 48 jobs in consolidation | Seattle Times Newspaper
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Seven 16-foot Guide Model Old Town canoes were used in production of the film
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670:, Borealis Books: an imprint of the Minnesota Historical Society, 2004.
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Haskell, Meg, “Old Town Canoe Celebrates Expansion, Move to New Site”,
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in 2004. It was kept in Maine after a $ 900,000 interest free loan and
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369:"A canoe company put Old Town on the international sportsmen's map"
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and early canoe makers such as E.H. Gerrish and C.B. Thatcher of
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593:"Removal of Former Old Town Canoe Factory Gives City New Look"
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Penobscot County, Maine registry of deeds, Book 708, Page 325.
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purchased a number of Old Town Yankee Model canoes for his
579:"City Prepares to Demolish Former Old Town Canoe Complex"
182:, named for its founder E. M. White and founded in 1889.
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Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Forums, Open Forum,
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The Old Town Canoe Company Build Record Archive Project
567:$ 200,000 Grant Could Be Awarded to Old Town - WABI TV5
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Old Town design no.4 on 1934 HW model wood-canvas canoe
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The Complete Old Town Canoe Company Catalog Collection
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The Wood and Canvas Canoe: Old Town HW with Sponsons
657:, posted 12-06-2014 and accessed September 16, 2015.
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The Old Town Canoe Company: Our First Hundred Years
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The Old Town Canoe Company: Our First Hundred Years
367:O'Neil, Ruth; Swartz, Brian (September 11, 1990).
281:and livery business, Border Lakes Outfitters in
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483:The Morris Canoe: Legacy of an American Family
340:Bangor Daily News – Google News Archive Search
145:Old Town Canoe 'Discoverer 150' in use on the
94:The origins of canvas canoes can be traced to
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814:Manufacturing companies established in 1898
160:In the early 1970s the company began using
809:Companies based in Penobscot County, Maine
522:, September 13, 2003, Canoe Kayak Magazine
27:Canoe manufacturer in Maine, United States
757:Gray, Benson and Daniel Miller, editors,
510:Lewiston Evening Journal - March 23, 1954
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788:1950s video featuring an Old Town canoe
737:Old Town Canoe Company corporate history
729:Audette, Susan T., with David E. Baker,
394:Audette, Susan T., with David E. Baker,
59:Old Town was the largest and best known
496:Old Town Canoe: Our First Hundred Years
494:Audette, Susan T. with David E. Baker,
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205:was awarded a $ 600,000 grant from the
581:. Bangor Daily News. 26 February 2013.
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462:Manufacturers: Carleton Canoe Company
422:Bangor Daily News - December 27, 1974
270:was an Old Town of unspecified model.
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824:Design companies established in 1898
772:Old Town Canoe: Serial Number Search
207:U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
106:and G.E. Carleton and E.M. White of
711:Bangor Daily News - April 17, 2008
595:. Bangor Daily News. 21 March 2014.
766:Old Town build records on CD-ROM.
557:Bangor Daily News - August 8, 2000
534:November 10, 2009 Nashua Telegraph
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450:St. John Daily Sun - June 2, 1905
691:Old Town build records on CD-ROM
680:Old Town Build Records on CD-ROM
555:Old Town's kayaks outsell canoes
171:In 1974 the company was sold to
465:, accessed September 17, 2015.
448:Old Town Canoe Co. v. Chestnut
420:Old Town Canoe sold to Johnson
178:In 1984 the company purchased
126:Cover of 1921 Old Town catalog
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508:Old Town canoe workers strike
829:1898 establishments in Maine
498:, Tilbury House, 1998, p.67.
485:, CreateSpace, 2014, p. 139.
460:WCHA Forums, KnowledgeBase,
290:United States Forest Service
532:Governor visits canoe plant
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273:In 1935, environmentalist
260:The canoe that journalist
716:accessed 22 November 2020
185:Old Town was acquired by
288:The first Chief of the
248:Notable Old Town Canoes
40:is a historic maker of
733:, Tilbury House, 1998.
668:Canoeing with the Cree
520:30 Years of Great Gear
398:, Tilbury House, 1998.
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312:Some Assembly Required
267:Canoeing with the Cree
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132:Chestnut Canoe Company
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112:Carleton Canoe Company
38:Old Town Canoe Company
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18:Old Town Canoe Company
713:Old Town Canoe get...
620:The Bangor Daily News
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622:, November 10, 2009.
609:, November 10, 2009.
834:Kayak manufacturers
819:Canoe manufacturers
786:Creation of a Canoe
639:2015-12-21 at the
469:2016-03-04 at the
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309:for an episode of
301:In popular culture
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114:of Old Town built
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654:Deliverance Canoe
607:Bangor Daily News
374:Bangor Daily News
307:Discovery Channel
283:Winton, Minnesota
102:, B.N. Morris of
16:(Redirected from
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173:S.C. Johnson
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81:E.H. Garrish
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65:World War II
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761:on CD-ROM.
255:Deliverance
191:block grant
180:White Canoe
85:B.N. Morris
798:Categories
319:References
279:outfitting
89:E.M. White
315:in 2008.
149:, England
147:River Ure
637:Archived
467:Archived
222:canoes.
166:aluminum
116:batteaux
61:American
46:Old Town
162:Royalex
75:History
435:
195:Paddle
104:Veazie
100:Bangor
87:, and
69:kayaks
42:canoes
243:2012.
96:Maine
50:Maine
433:ISBN
382:2018
232:stem
44:in
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20:)
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