Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1515234
Dexter-Russell 37 S everal years later in 1968, the Russell-Harrington Cutlery Company prepared to celebrate its 150th anniversary, reiterating its basic tenets: to provide top quality at a fair price and to guarantee absolute customer satisfaction. e company continued to use high-quality materials and invest in research and development to maintain a foothold in the commercial knife industry. LAUNCH OF HYDE MANUFACTURING However, change was imminent. Efforts to remain profitable were falling short so Russell-Harrington sought a buyer to strengthen its financial position. e company hoped to remain in Southbridge and achieved that goal when the Hyde Manufacturing Company across town decided to purchase Russell-Harrington in October 1968. e new owners changed the company name to Russell-Harrington Cutlery, Inc., but strived to retain some of the existing practices. e connection between Hyde and the Harrington family actually dates back to the late 1800s when Isaac P. Hyde, who was born in 1833 in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, moved to Southbridge after high school to began his education in the machinist trade. In 1872, eodore Harrington, son of Henry Harrington, opened a knife factory, which specialized in creating knives for the leather, shoe and tobacco industries; Harrington hired Hyde as superintendent. At that time, the factory ran at full speed to keep up with consumer demand. Hyde observed how Harrington's business grew steadily and considered striking out on his own. ree years later, that possibility became reality when he cashed in a $5,000 endowment policy. Using these funds as capital, he hired three employees and in 1875 launched I.P. Hyde & Company, which initially made shoe knives, mill blades and other tools for cutting cloth. As business increased, so, too, did the size of Hyde's physical plant. e company moved from a space on Elm Street to Main Street in Southbridge, which the American Optical Spectacle Shop had previously occupied. Hyde demolished the existing building and replaced it with a 50' by 30' structure. As success continued, the company incorporated in 1881 and changed its name to the Hyde Manufacturing Company. e company's product line remained much the same until 1890 when the electric cloth machine was invented and Hyde began to manufacture circular blades. 1968 - 2010 Theodore Harrington