Established in 1869
Lowell,
- 1869 Established in
- patented a metal cartridge
– Joe Meigs - primarily cartridges, paper-shot-shells, and primers
- 1875
- July 1903 explosion killed 22 employees and nearby residents
– injuring more than 70 - 1910s constructed brick factory buildings
– along Lawrence Street and the Wamesit Canal - 1911 National Lead Company purchased an interest
- 1915 a number of work stoppages because of the American Federation of Labor
- Sept 1915 largest strike in the firm’s history
- 1917, U.S. Cartridge, inundated with orders for munitions from the United States
military and its allies in World War I - His Majesty’s government pay in advance to guaranteed the British ammo supply
- 1918 National Lead Company bought half the shares
- 1922 family sold its remaining interest in the company to National Lead
- 1926 National Lead Company also owned Winchester Repeating Arms Company
- 1926 cartridge manufacturing machinery was moved to New Haven, CT
- January 1, 1927 – U.S. Cartridge closed
U.S. Cartridge Company
About U.S. Cartridge Company
The United States Cartridge Company was founded in 1869 in Lowell, Massachusetts by Civil War general and politician Benjamin F. Butler to manufacture small arms ammunition. The company produced metallic cartridges, paper shotshells and primers, and it grew into one of the leading employers in Lowell. Its history also includes tragedy: on July 29, 1903 an explosion at its powder magazine in Tewksbury killed 22 people, injured about 70 more and destroyed or damaged some seventy homes.
World War I made U.S. Cartridge one of the largest ammunition makers in the country. Its workforce grew from about 1,200 in September 1914 to roughly 15,000, and it reportedly supplied about 65 percent of American small arms ammunition production, turning out more than 2.26 billion military cartridges for the United Kingdom, Russia, the Netherlands, Italy, France and the United States. After Paul Butler’s death in 1918, the National Lead Company bought a controlling interest. National Lead also held an interest in Winchester, and in 1926 the cartridge machinery was moved from Lowell to New Haven, Connecticut. The Lowell plants closed on January 1, 1927, and production continued under the Winchester name.
Key Facts
- 1869: Founded in Lowell, Massachusetts by Benjamin F. Butler
- July 29, 1903: Tewksbury powder magazine explosion kills 22 people
- 1914-1918: Workforce grows from about 1,200 to roughly 15,000 during World War I
- 1918: National Lead Company acquires a controlling interest
- 1926: Cartridge machinery moved to New Haven, Connecticut
- January 1, 1927: Lowell plants close; production continues under the Winchester name
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Sources
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