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Laura
Ingall's visit to Keen Kutter
"We went to the Manufacturers' Building... and saw the "Keen Kutter" exhibit. In the
center of the space, which was nearly two hundred feet square... Everything about
the exhibit was worked by electricity. Above... is an arch made of glistening spoons
of different sizes. At the upper right-hand corner was a gigantic pocket knife with
four blades that kept opening and shutting and at the upper left-hand corner was
a row of seven blacksmiths standing each at his anvil with a different tool in his
hand. At stated times first one and then another would beat the tool on the anvil with
his hammer... At the center top were two windmills made of ax blades continually
turning. It was very interesting."
SEPTEMBER 29, 1915
E.C. Simmons & Co. was a wholesale hardware dealer which marked all types of tools. Although
they were not a maker per se, the company did acquire controlling interest in the Walden Knife Co. in the 1890’s and had some
of their tools made by that company. They were bought out by the A.F. Shapleigh Hdw. Co. n 1940.
Besides their best known brand name KEEN KUTTER, some other brand names they used not necessarily
before 1900 were: ARKANSAS (splitting wedges), AXTEL (horse rasps), BAY STATE (hatchets), BLACK JACK (various tools
including a wrench with a 14 JAN. 1896 patent), BLACKSNAKE (saws), Blue Brand or B.B. (squares and others),
BULL DOG (braces and tool sets), CHIPAWAY (axes, planes, hammers and other), CLAY BANK (shovels),
COLUMBIA (saws), CUMBERLAND (axes), DEFIANCE (saws), DELMAR (coffee mills), DRIVEWELL (punches),
DUCK BILL (wrenches), ESSEX (wrenches), EUREKA (rakes), FARMER BOY (scythe stones),FAST MAIL (saws), W.M. FINCH (saws), HERCULES (wheelbarrows), HOWARD (axes), KEYSTONE
(forks), KLICKER (various tools), KLINCHER (pliers), KORN KRUSHER (corn mills, LIGHTNIN, LONE STAR (hoes), H.M.
MEIER (saws), MESQUITE (axes), MOGUL (shovels), MONARCH (saws), NEVER SLIP (wrenches), OAK LEAF (various tools),OHIO BOY (rakes), OHIO FALLS (axes), OZARK (splitting wedges), POLAR (ice saws),
RED JACKET (hatchets),RED LINE (rules), RED TOP (scythes), ROYAL (axes), RUN
EASY (plows, lawn mowers), SMILEY’S (saws),SURE GRIP (braces, vises, wrenches),
SWIFT (saws and saw tools), TRUE BLUE (axes), UTILITY (saws, wrenches), VANGUARD (saws), WINNER (lawn
mowers), WOOD PECKER (axes), ZULU (axes), WM. ENDERS (various tools) information obtained from the EAIA Directory of American Toolmakers book which you can visit thier website at
this link http://www.eaiainfo.org/
Edward Campbell
Simmons and August Frederick Shapleigh founded keen Kutter.
Time line:
1847 Shapleigh
Day & Company- 1863 A.F. Shapleigh & Company-1870 Keen Kutter name chosen by E.C. Simmons-1872 E.C. Simmons &
Company-1874 Simmons Hardware Company
1922 Merger
of Simmons Hardware & Winchester- 1923 Winchester- Simmons Company
1929 Simmons
Hardware Company reverted to original status- 1940 Shapleigh Hardware Company-1962 Val-Test as to my understanding Distributors
Buying Group still existing
The Keen Kutter brand of tools was originated
in 1870 by the E.C. Simmons Company. In 1874 the organization was incorporated under new Federal corporation laws as the Simmons
Hardware Company. It was the first company to take such a step.
The company motto was "The Recollection
of QUALITY Remains Long after the PRICE is Forgotten."
A 1902 portrait of E.C.
Simmons' top 257 salesmen is included in Jack DeBoer's Keen Kutter collection. It was made to honor them for selling over two million dollars worth of
merchandise in just one month. The Keen Kutter gold axe badge, one of which is included in the
collection, was awarded only to elite salesmen. The badge was worn on the lapel and considered a symbol of great esteem. E.C.
Simmons was a pioneer in the development of the catalog as a sales tool. His catalog was the first to use color pictures
and was recognized around the world as the "hardware encyclopedia. "The 1908 "G" issue, which contained
over 79,000 items, was the largest hardware catalog of its kind in the world.
E.C. Simmons loved sales gimmicks. The firm
promoted its products with moving figures for display windows, such as a large, electric powered pocket knife which slowly opened
and closed.
The Keen Kutter puzzle was perhaps the most famous company promotional gimmick. One boy and one girl would be allowed to sit
in a store display window while competing to complete the puzzle in the least possible amount of
time. Victorious boys received a pocket knife; girls received a pair of scissors.
Built as a distribution center for the company's line of "Keen Kutter" products, the building was reported to have contained more floor space than any other building in Wichita,
80 thousand square feet. Designed by the St. LouisFirm of Mauran, Russell and Garden, the
architecture of the building incorporated both the Italianate and Romanesque styles. The four-story, nine bay red brick building
boasted an automatic sprinkler system that included a 20 thousand gallon water tank located 20 feet above the sprinkler heads
"hidden" in the cupola portion of the building. The heart of a state of- the-art fire extinguishing system. The building itself was constructed to be fire resistant.
Its floors were water-tight,
and its walls cobbled at each level to retard air currents. Cracks and seams were sealed with oakum and pitch to render them
air-tight. The massive wooden beams which formed the building's
frame were built into the brick walls. In case of fire, this design would prevent a burning or collapsing beam from pulling the surrounding
wall down with it. The Keen Kutter warehouse was said to be
the strongest building in Wichita
and the largest
warehouse in the world in 1906. Its design is identical to that of the CupplesBuilding in St. Louis.
The 40-foot high square cupola features a hipped roof with pairs of brackets flanking circular
window openings. Construction of the Keen Kutter warehouse began
in 1905 and was completed in the spring of 1906. The four-story, all-brick building encompasses 80,000 square feet of space
and cost $250,000 to build. Nine shipping bays received goods from all over the world
An E. C. Simmons Hardware Company Logo Trade Mark. E.C. Simmons operated in St. Louis MO
between 1868-1940 with distribution points in at least 8 major U.S.
Cities.
Pocketknives: Keen Kutter was the Simmons premium
brand, used mainly on American-made knives.
Lower priced knives, most made in Germany were
tang stamped Simmons or Simmons Hardware Co. Some of the latter have a picture of a hornet stamped on the reverse tang
Simmons Hardware had begun as a regional hardware
wholesaler in Saint Louis after the Civil War, much like hundreds of other similar firms all over the United States.
Unlike most hardware
wholesalers, however,
Simmons had grown and expanded aggressively in pursuit of a national market. The Simmons "Keen Kutter" brand had become known
all over the country
2This section contains various items on each page some of the items include:
Hahn gas revolvers and holster, plastic ware, Keen Kutter friction tape, arrow tacker kits, Tennis rackets by
Wilson, keen kutter auger bits, Remington model 66 rifle, clotheslines, Gas revolver Crosman, Telescope sights Mosseberg, clocks
by Westclox and General Electric, Hog weigher scale by Hanson, Dazey electric can opener, door hardware, Jackmaster knives
by Imperial, Keen Kutter flashlights and batteries, Kitchen ware by Gardner, polly flex plastic ware, estwing axes and hammers,
Fruitcake, rubber hose, radios, cosco bar stools, Morton sling shot set, Hi-Standard automatic target pistols, dry wall tools
by sands, Oster massage pillow, Daisy air rifle, Black & Decker electrit utility tools, Keen Kutter gasoline can, wooden
ware chopping blocks, electric heaters, Delta homecraft woodworking tools, Duck calls by Faulk's, Barbecue grilles by
Weber.
4This section contains hand tools which include: Keen Kutter Shapleigh and Stanley
planes, little gian razor plane, stanley open throat router, stanley surform cutting tools, stanley irons and handles,
Scrapers by red devil and stanley, Clyde wonder tool, Keen Kutter and shapleigh Draw knives, stanley spoke shaves, Keen kutter
fuller stanley chisels, wood turning tool set by Disston, Stanley handyman cold chisels, Keen Kutter Machine punches,
all steel wood chisels, keen kutter alloy punch and chisel silent salesman display, masonry drills, center belt prick starter
machine pin punches, ticket punches and spring punch by Bernard, Nail sets letter and number sets, keen kutter screwdriver
silent salesman display, fullers screwdriver advertisement, BernzOMatic kits, spiral ratchet screw driver yankee mansco and
stanley handyman
5This section contains hand tools which include: yankee and mansco push drill and points,
yankee boring tools and screwdriver attachment bits, fuller and yankee drill attachments and points, fuller and yankee offset
screwdrivers, fuller nut drivers, How to read a square, Keen Kutter sargent nicholls framing and steel squares, stanley
shapleigh defince twix try and miter also combination and southington squares, stanley sliding t bevels, stanley trammel points,
calipers and dividers by Kastar standard general, Keen Kutter and fuller scratch awls, vernier caliper by general, depth
gauge center guage wire guage by General, General reference table, General and stanley butt guage, shapleigh stanley marking
gauges, Standard yard stick, lufkin and stanley caliper rules, Lufkin Evans Master and stanley extension folding zig zag rule,
Lufkin Keen Kutter Walsco Evans and Stanley tape rules, Keen kutter plumb bob, cedarburg Evans Diamond Edge and
strait-line chalk line reels, stenceil brushes, shapleigh's Simmons Dixon lead pencil, Scripto Keen Kutter
Diamond B&S Dixon lumber crayons, Pencil sharpeners, Liquid solder, plastic rubber aluminum and steel, glue, keen kutter
peerless sands plumbs and levels, tool boxes union kennedy bighorn walton national, tool holders carpenters keen kutter aprons,
Leveling instrumbents by Bostrom, S&A Stanley level sights,
7This section contains hand tools which include: Clayton Lambert Turner Bernzomatic
Supreme Prepo blow torches, Drake Lenk Wen Weller soldering irons and guns, Solder and supplies, General Tap information,
Ace Greenfield Taps and also reamer wrenches, Rigid Pipe tool power drives, Ridgid pipe and bolt threading machines and
tools, Stanley hand drills, Yankee Shapleigh Klicker bit braces, Jacobs chucks, Clark and General circular and hole cutters,
Keen Kutter Clarks Stanley Connecticut Valley expansive bits, Irwin Keen Kutter Shapleigh auger bits, Pratt auger handles,
Countersink bits by stanley deuse, gimlet bits, screwdriver and countersink silent Keen Kutter salesman bits, Greenlee machine
bits, Keen Kutter Cleveland drill bits and sets, Irwin Greenlee Cleveland electric drill bits, Drill cabinets by Cleveland,
Reamers and extracors by Cleveland
13This section contains: Catalog index, Builders hardware contract department, Technical
terms applying to locks and builders' hardware, Note keying alike and master keying locks, how to measure locks, kwikset
tubular locks and latches, Dummy knobs and Rosettes, Sargent locks and latches, accessories for sargent aligna locks, corbin
cylindrical locks and latches, Schlage cylindrical lock, ornamental escutcheons, yale & town locks and latches, sectional
front door lock sets by corbin shapleigh earle, rim lock sets and strike plates, mortise lock cylinders, dead locks, rim dead
lock latch, padlocks by master and bicyle locks by yale gossner, combination padlocks, miniature padlocks by yale walsco slaymaker,
drawer locks, suit case catches, key cutting machines, key blank assortments by Ilco Yale & Towne shapleigh clinton sargent
master corbin dexter briggs & stratton, barrel keys flat blank keys and bit key skeleton blanks, push and pull plates,
thresholds and weather strip, floor hinges and door checks, forged iron colonial door hardware, exit devices, door closers,
spring and chain door stops and holders, door pulls hinges and bolts, chain door fasteners
14This section contains: Mail boxes, lettering and numbers for hoses, screen and storm door
locks and latches, hinges, screen window, hardware, window locks and lifts, aluminum hardware, window cranks, sash chain and
cord, cabinet hardware, wood knobs and pulls, furniture trim display, box hardware
17This section contains: steel basement sash, metal building corners, foundation grates,
cornice ventilators, clean out or ash pit doors, louvers, roof and ceiling ventilators, clothes dryer vents, awnings and canopies,
aluminum shutters, closet shelves, Shapleighs adjustable porch and stair railing, barn door hangers and brackets, barn door
track, garage door hardware, gate and thumb latches, rung fasteners, corruated fasteners, wood dowels, masonry drills, molly
screw anchors, jack nut and wrench, masonry anchors and drivers, expansion shields, toggle bolts, cotter pin, rivets, Rex
hand riveting machine, rivet sets and headers, woodruff keys, screws, bolts, wood screw information
21This section contains: faucets, compression stops, brass valves, range boilers, Keen
Kutter gas water heaters, electric water heaters, pipe fittings, copper pipe solder sweat fittings, wrought steel pipe, pipe
fittings, sinkk collars and floor drain stoppers, roof flanges, melting pots, twisted jute, plumbers spun oakum, joint compound,
patching cement, force cup plungers, septic tanks, hydrants, selecting the size of pumps and tanks information, water systems,
pressure switches and gauges, paint and varnish remover, white lead by dutch boy, muriatic acid, sump pumps and jacks, high
pressure pumps, well pumps, pump leathers and float valves, drive well points, pump chain and foot valves, well wheels and
bored well buckets
25This section contains: White enameled ware by vollrath fletcher, percolators, kettles,
pots and plates by Federal, Blue enameled ware by savory columbian and federal, wear ever by hallite, aluminum ware,
mirro ware, comet ware, Enterprise aluminum ware, Club holiday hammercraft ware, Kromex ware, Tri-m inc ware, freedman
mathews ware, copperware by bridgeport, stainless steel ware by Revere Patriot, Color craft pitchers, copper clad stainless
steel ware by revere, cast iron hollow ware by Griswold, porcelain cast iron ware contemporary American by griswold, Tinware
by bake king, waste baskets, Copper trimmed ware by Prestige decoware, decorated kitchen ware by Lawson
SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY
Street City/State/Zip
Business
TypeDomesticProfitState of
Incorporation MO
Status Date 11/15/1887 Status I
Registration
Date 12/15/1873 Current Name
Date 12/15/1873
Expiration
Date Perpetual Report Period :
Last AR
Filed Last AR Year
Name
Effective
Date
Name
1 09/06/1929 SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY OF
ST. LOUIS
2 04/30/1929 SIMMONS HARDWARE DISTRIBUTORS
COMPANY
3 11/15/1922 THE WINCHESTER-SIMMONS
COMPANY OF ST. LOUIS
Name SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY OF ST. LOUIS
Street City/State/Zip
Business
Type
Domestic
Profit
State of
Incorporation MO
Status Date 04/13/1936 Status ID
Registration
Date 11/15/1922 Current Name
Date 09/06/1929
Expiration
Date 11/15/1972 Report Period :
Last AR
Filed Last AR Year
Dissolution
Date 04/13/1936
Below is a complete 1950's era Keen
Kutter catalog (I have found dates from around 51-59. My husband carefully scanned every page from front to back,
this catalog is huge, about 10" thick and it took him awhile and I want to thank Joe for this awesome catalog for
everyone to share. There are 49 downloads below every section in order I numbered them from 1-49 this is exactly
the way they are in order as if you were flipping through the pages of the catalog. There is everything you can imagine. Hope
you enjoy!
27This section contains: Freezer bags, dinnerware by Knowles Ballerina Homer Lauglin, cups
by St. Dennis, dinnerware by Scio Ohio pottery co. and Stetson, teamakers, Hall kitchenware and tea pots, Shawnees
fairy wood ceramics and pottery, Accent cermaics, Pyrex ware, casserole frames by Loroman, Cory and pyrex coffee makers, carafes
by inland glassware, decorated tumblers and pitchers, glass ware
29 This section contains: Mats, Ice tongs chippers
and picks, pot cleaners, Barometers and hygrometers, thermometers, fly swatters and traps, drapery hardware, blinds and shades,
shade cutters, bird cages feeders and baths, brushes and brooms, carpet sweepers, mops and dusters, chamois, wax and
polish, electric floor polishers,
31This section contains: toastmaster and General Electric Hamilton Beach electric housewares.
list of service repair stations, toasters, coffee makers, fry pans, mixers, irons, griddles, pressure cooker, Mirro Matic
coffee percolators and electric housewares, Oster products , hair dryers, rotisseries, grill stoves, heating pads, electric
blankets, fan heaters, refrigerator freezers, refrigerator and sink, refrigerator and range, washer and dryer, brooms and
vacuum cleaners, water coolers, radios, record players, phongraphs
38This section contains: Hallmark Diamond rings, gift rings and fraternal Jewelry, masonic
rings, Hallmark Hampden Douglas and Waltham watches, Hampden Westclox clocks and pocket watches, alarm clocks,
General electric Westclox Sunbeam electric alarm clocks, Wall clocks, Timers
39This section contains: Remington automatic shotguns, Skeet trap shotguns, pump action
shotguns, automatic rifles, slide action rifles, bolt action repeating rifles, tubular and clip magazine rifles,
Winchester shotguns and rifles, Ithaca Stevens Savage mossberg marlin shotguns and rifles, Smith & Wesson revolvers, Iver
Johnson revolvers, Ruger pistols and revolvers, Whitney and Hi Standard pistols and revolvers, Beretta Wame Jaguar Plinker
pistols, Air rifles by Benjamin Sheridan, CO2 pistols, Crosman 22 pneumatic rifles, Hahn Super BB repeater gun,
Crosman air and gas pistols and accessories, Hahn gas revolvers and holsters, Daisy air pistol sets and rifles, sling
shots, Remington Western Winchester Peters loaded shells, Rim Fire cartridges full size chart, Center fire cartridges,
Blank cartridges, Primers, List of distributing points of ammunition
41This section contains: Fishing rods, tubular glass fly and casting rods, solid glass casting
rods, tubular glass spin cast rods, tubular glass spinning and trolling rods, catfish snagger rods, telescoping
glass poles, bamboo poles, racks holders and cases, auto top carriers, automatic fly reels by Orene matice and martin,
single action fly reels by ocean city enterprise and Bronson, casting reels by true temper ocean city Pflueger garcia langley
and bronson, spin cast reels by zebco Johnson Wright & McGill, Martin Langley Garcia Pflueger and Ocean City,
spinning reels by mitchell, Heavy duty reels by Penn, fishing line, nets, minnow seines, landing nets, casting lures by Heddon
creek chub kautzky houser helin true temper arbogast jitterbug hula popper south bend A.D Mfg. Co. Padre Island Bayou Boogie Bomber
L&S Paul Bunyan Wiley, hackle streamers, twin spinners, bucktails, casting spoons, bait, hooks, spinning lures, rigged
worm lures, plastic bait, popping lures, fly rod baits and flies
45This section contains: Keen Kutter and Klicker Bicycles, Harris bicycles, bicycle tires
wheels and tubes, bicycle lamps bells mirrors horns and reflectors, pedals chains axles stands and carriers, Streamers handle
bar grips and flaps, seats pumps tool bags and bicycle repair hangers, bicycle padlocks, keen kutter and Radio steel wagons,
scooters, tow trucks tractors trailers air force jeeps by Hamilton steel, wheelbarrow and garden set, toy lawn mowers,
junior trikes velocipedes, junior sidewalk bikes, Junior cars tractors and trucks, Little Giant Murray juvenile automobiles,
Jet motorized racer, baby walkers and strollers, bassinets and baby swings and seats, pools and accessories, playground equipment,
sleds and red rocket toboggans
47This section contains: repairs and extra parts division, woodworking bench Plane parts,
block plane parts for stanley, router and rabbet plane parts, dado plane and carriage circular plane parts, stanley combination
plane parts, lawn mower parts
48This
section contains: store fixtures, Shapleigh's modern display fixtures, housewares, cleaning supplies section, paint,
sportin goods and gun case section, tools section, mass display island, display cases, display fixtures and gondolas, check
out counter, nail counters bins and claws, rotating nail bins, screw bolt and parts cases, merchandiser accessories, peg board,
price marking machine labels and tickets, keen kutter coin envelopes, shopping carts, roll paper holders and cutters, paper
bag holders, nail pullers by giant and rex, box crate openers by noxtox, display doors, suggested list of merchandise for
keen kutter panels, drill cabinets, tool bolt and parts cabinets, bin units and steel shelving, drawer case units and gun
tacker staples, safes scales and rolling store ladders
49This section contains: Appendix, zone price freight map, list of officers of the company,
Rules and instructions regarding selling and salesmen's relation with house, mailing list
Some of this Informantion on Keen Kutter was obtained from THCKK & EAIA
