Lobdell Car Wheel Company Account Books,
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains account books relating to the southwestern Virginia business concerns of the Lobdell Car Wheel Company. Most of the records seem to have originated with the White Rock Furnace in Smyth County. Included are customer account records from the company's store, payroll ledgers, invoices, correspondence, and furnace operation records and reports. Much of the correspondence is addressed directly to Jacob W. Lantz, who managed Lobdell's farm and conducted other business for the company.
Dates
- Creation: 1881 - 1902
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Lobdell Car Wheel Company Account Books must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Historical Note
The Lobdell Car Wheel Company had its beginnings in 1830, when Jonathon Bonney and Charles Bush established a small foundry in Wilmington, Delaware. By 1867, the year it was incorporated as the Lobdell Car Wheel Company, the business had added partner George Lobdell and become the world's largest manufacturer of wheels for railroad cars.
White Rock Furnace, located five miles from Rural Retreat and near the head of Cripple Creek in Smyth County, was among the Lobdell Car Wheel Company's operations in Virginia. Built in 1875, and originally known as the Panic Furnace, the White Rock was purchased in 1880 by Lobdell, which also bought Brown Hill Furnace in neighboring Wythe County. The White Rock ceased operation in the early 20th century, when the company found it more cost effective to purchase, rather than mine and manufacture, its iron.
Full Extent
2.9 Cubic Feet (9 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Records of Smyth and Wythe County, Virginia furnace and store operations of the Lobdell Car Wheel Company, including customer store accounts, payroll records, and furnace operation reports.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by ledger type, then chronologically.
Acquisition Information
The Lobdell Car Wheel Company Account Books were donated to Special Collections prior to 1941.
Physical Characteristics
2.9 cu. ft. 9 boxes
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Lobdell Car Wheel Company Account Books commenced and was completed in January, 2013.
- Title
- A Guide to the Lobdell Car Wheel Company Account Books, 1881-1902
- Subtitle
- A collection in Special Collections.
- Author
- John M. Jackson
- Date
- ©2013 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu