I saw this on another post and thought it should have its own thread- Hope I have not stepped on toes..
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Fay Manufacturing Company was founded in the Cleveland suburb of Elyria by Winslow Lamartine Fay and began making tricycles. Competition from the newly introduced two-wheeled "safety" bicycle reduced demand for tricycles, leading Fay to transform his tricycle design into a line of mobility devices for persons with disabilities. The new products featured hand levers and treadles for steering and pedaling. The products proved successful, in part because they filled an existing need--the Civil War had left thousands of veterans with amputated limbs who needed help getting around. Following on this success, Fay developed specialized carts that were precursors to the modern wheelchair.
Looking to pursue other business opportunities, Fay sold his company to Arthur L. Garford in 1891. Soon after, Garford hired George Cushing Worthington to manage the firm's plant operations. Worthington became a key employee at the company, designing a line of bicycle-wheeled rolling chairs. His influence was great enough that when Garford elected to rename the company in 1899, he chose the moniker the Worthington Manufacturing Company. Worthington was named president in 1902, and five years later the firm was renamed the Worthington Company.
In 1917, Fred W. Colson, a Worthington vice-president, engineered the merger of Worthington with the Machine Parts Company to form the Colson Company, majority owned by Colson, who also served as company president. The Colson Company continued to make wheelchairs and tricycles--as well as the automotive parts that had been made by Machine Parts Company--but it soon expanded its product line to include stretchers, service carts, and bicycles and scooters for children.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Colson fell upon hard times. The firm went into receivership in 1933 and was reorganized as the Colson Corporation, with new management and with Neely Powers serving as president. The company once again specialized in tricycles, wheelchairs, and automotive parts until World War II, when Colson produced "Mighty Mouse" rockets for the U.S. Navy.
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Fay Manufacturing Company was founded in the Cleveland suburb of Elyria by Winslow Lamartine Fay and began making tricycles. Competition from the newly introduced two-wheeled "safety" bicycle reduced demand for tricycles, leading Fay to transform his tricycle design into a line of mobility devices for persons with disabilities. The new products featured hand levers and treadles for steering and pedaling. The products proved successful, in part because they filled an existing need--the Civil War had left thousands of veterans with amputated limbs who needed help getting around. Following on this success, Fay developed specialized carts that were precursors to the modern wheelchair.
Looking to pursue other business opportunities, Fay sold his company to Arthur L. Garford in 1891. Soon after, Garford hired George Cushing Worthington to manage the firm's plant operations. Worthington became a key employee at the company, designing a line of bicycle-wheeled rolling chairs. His influence was great enough that when Garford elected to rename the company in 1899, he chose the moniker the Worthington Manufacturing Company. Worthington was named president in 1902, and five years later the firm was renamed the Worthington Company.
In 1917, Fred W. Colson, a Worthington vice-president, engineered the merger of Worthington with the Machine Parts Company to form the Colson Company, majority owned by Colson, who also served as company president. The Colson Company continued to make wheelchairs and tricycles--as well as the automotive parts that had been made by Machine Parts Company--but it soon expanded its product line to include stretchers, service carts, and bicycles and scooters for children.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Colson fell upon hard times. The firm went into receivership in 1933 and was reorganized as the Colson Corporation, with new management and with Neely Powers serving as president. The company once again specialized in tricycles, wheelchairs, and automotive parts until World War II, when Colson produced "Mighty Mouse" rockets for the U.S. Navy.
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