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Spiesz Furniture Co. Ltd. (later Spiesz-Wright) |
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Josephine Hahn wrote that "The Spiesz Furniture Co." was established in Hanover, Grey County, in 1909 (another book says 1908). It was a four-storey white brick building located along Proctor Street. It was organized and incorporated in 1909 with Mr. B. F. Ahrens (President), Mr. R. J. Ball (Vice-President), Mr. Jared J. Spiesz (Manager & Treasurer), and Mr. H. Arthur Doubt (Secretary). Miss Hahn mentioned: "Mr. Spiesz is a man of strong conviction, and one of these he carries out to the letter, which is to be at the factory every morning when the whistle blows and start work with his men as one of them. This mingling with his men has established a feeling of good comradeship which is appreciated by both employer and employee." He also annually had a staff get-to-gether in the form of a banquet and dance at Speer's Hall. A researcher mentioned in her book that the Industrial Standards Act came into effect in Ontario on April 18, 1935. In 1937, there were three strikes at the factory. In October, 1937, during the third strike, there were 75 men. (Source:Parr, Joyce, THE GENDER OF BREAD WINNERS: WOMEN, MEN, AND CHANGE IN TWO INDUSTRIAL TOWNS 1880-1950, University of Toronto Press, 1990, pp. 222-226). Jared J. Spiesz became President of the company in 19__, and remained in this role until 1954. This was the year that the Wright-Spiesz Furniture Co. was established. In 1956, the company was taken over by Knechtel Furniture and continued operating until 1966 with Arthur Wright as President. In 1946, Josephine Hahn mentioned that "The plant specializes in but two lines of Furniture, bedroom suites and dining room suites, with a variety of styles and designs." Her book also mentions how Mr. Spiesz was raised on a farm, but moved to Hanover when he was a young man and gained experience at the Knechtel furniture company. She also mentions the New Year's parties held at the large home he and his wife had at the corner of Main and California Streets. On the outskirts of town, he had a hobby farm. T. A. Davidson wrote in 1972: "In 1958, the Wright-Spiesz Furniture Company became a subsidiary of Knechtel Furniture Limited and its plant was taken over for the production of old Colony Maple line and other solid wood furniture." (Davidson, T. Arthur, A NEW HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF GREY, 1972, p. 100) The Grey Roots Museum has a walnut-finished dining room suite from the mid-1930s that was made by the Spiesz furniture factory. There is a label on the back of the china cabinet from the factory. It is Model 295. A 1923 trade book called CANADIAN FURNITURE has a manufacturer's index at the back, and charts the company as producing dining room furniture and bedroom furniture. A great-grandson of Jared Spiesz, mentioned to Grey Roots staff that his ancestor's lifedates were 1873-1967. He also mentioned that the company also produced lounge chairs. |
