Wakefield Rattan Company

Wakefield Rattan Co.
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Now-demolished Wakefield Rattan Company buildings, c. 1985
42°30′11″N 71°3′59″W / 42.50306°N 71.06639°W / 42.50306; -71.06639
Built	1889
MPS	Wakefield MRA
NRHP reference No.	89000692 [1]
Added to NRHP	July 06, 1989

The Wakefield Rattan Company was the world's leading manufacturer of rattan furniture and objects in the second half of the 19th century. Founded by Cyrus Wakefield in 1851 in South Reading, Massachusetts (now Wakefield), it perfected machinery for working with rattan, developing looms for weaving chair seats and mats. Its products also included wicker furniture and baby carriages. The company also successfully found uses for previously wasted portions of the plant, using shavings to create baling fabric and floor coverings. Its products were available throughout the United States.^[2]

History

In 1868, Cyrus Wakefield donated a new town hall to South Reading, which renamed itself Wakefield in his honor. He was also a major benefactor and investor in the town.

When Wakefield died in 1873, his company employed 1,000 workers at an 11 acres (4.5 ha) site just outside the town center. In the 1890s, the company merged with Heywood Brothers, becoming the Heywood-Wakefield Company. The manufacturing facilities were updated after several fires did significant damage to the plant.

By 1930, the company's business had declined, and its facilities were redeveloped for other uses. In 1972, a fire destroyed all but four buildings.^{[citation needed]} In 1989, those buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005, they were demolished and replaced by a supermarket.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wakefield, Massachusetts
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

References

• v
• t
• e

Wakefield, Massachusetts

• Incorporated in 1812
• Based in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
• Population 27,090

General information

• Wakefield
  • photos
• History
  • Crimes
  • Massacre
  • Standoff
• Geography
• Climate
• Demographics
  • 2010 Census
  • 2000 Census
• Government
• Education
• Neighborhoods
• Transportation
• Media
• Points of Interest
• Annual events
• Sports
• Notable residents
• Suggested reading

Government	Board of Selectmen (BOS)/Town Council Finance Committee (FinCom) School Committee/Wakefield Public Schools (WPS) Board of Health (BOH) Board of Appeals (ZBA) Fence Viewers WWII Memorial Committee Full list of governmental positions

Institutions

• Camp Curtis Guild
• Center for Applied Special Technology
• Daily Item
• Daily Times Chronicle
• Hockey East (headquartered in Wakefield)
• Lucius Beebe Memorial Library
• MBTA bus routes
• MBTA stations
  • Wakefield
  • Greenwood
• Nazareth Academy
• Our Lady of Nazareth Academy
• Paul K. Guillow, Inc.
• Wakefield High School (WHS)
• Wakefield Savings Bank
• Xura, Inc.

Attractions

• Pleasure Island (defunct)
• Lake Quannapowitt
• Saugus River

Notable residents

• Russell Banks
• Lucius Beebe
• Elizabeth Boit
• Bruce Brown Jr.
• Scott Brown
• Joe Cannata
• Rich Ceisler
• Carleton S. Coon
• David Dellinger
• Anthony Fabiano
• Ernie Gahan
• Kayla Harrison
• Israel Horovitz
• Mark Kumpel
• Dave Lapham
• John Lilley
• Rachel Levine
• A. David Mazzone
• Marcia Pankratz
• Jimmy Pedro
• Quonopohit
• Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Louis Sullivan
• Richard Tisei
• Ernest Tyzzer
• John Anthony Volpe
• Cyrus Wakefield (namesake)
• Burrage Yale

National Historic Places
(Houses)

• 18A & 20 Aborn Av.
• 6 Adams St.
• 380 Albion St.
• Avon St.
  • 23
  • 25
• 5 Bennett St.
• E. Boardman House
• Elizabeth Boit House
• Chestnut St.
  • 15
  • 21
  • 95
• 39 Converse St.
• 28 Cordis St.
• Cowdry Houses
  • Jonas
  • Nathaniel
• 40 Crescent St.
• Emerson-Franklin Poole House
• 26 Francis Av.
• Captain Goodwin-James Eustis House
• Samuel Gould House
• Capt. William Green House
• Deacon Daniel Green House
• 118 Greenwood St.
• 20 Hancock Rd.
• 42 Hopkins St.
• Dr. Charles Jordan House
• Deacon Thomas Kendall House
• 15 Lawrence St.
• Lawrence St.
  • 20
  • 23
• 556 Lowell St.
• Main St.
  • 190
  • 196
• 1 Morrison Av.
• Morrison Rd.
  • 20
  • 32
• 2 Nichols St.
• 509 North Av.
• 52 Oak St.
• Oliver House
• Park St.
  • 8
  • 18
• 22 Parker Rd.
• Prospect St.
  • 88
  • 90
• Richardson Avenue Rowhouses
  • 35–37
  • 38–48
• Dr. S. O. Richardson House
• Salem St.
  • 7
  • 19–21
  • 38
  • 113
• Sheffield Rd.
  • 13
  • 30
• Dr. Thomas Simpson House
• 54 Spring St.
• William Stimpson House
• Sweetser Houses
  • Daniel
  • Michael
• D. Horace Tilton House
• 193 Vernon St.
• 12 W. Water St.
• Wave Av.
  • 11
  • 15
• 9 White Av.
• 28 Wiley St.
• Suell Winn House
• Charles Winship House
• 1 Woodcrest Dr.

National Historic Places
(Buildings and Districts)

• Beacon Street Tomb
• Beebe Homestead
• Center (or Centre) Depot
• Church–Lafayette Sts. Hist. Dist.
• Common District
• Flanley's Block
• Greenwood Union Church
• Col. James Hartshorne House
• Item Building
• Lakeside Cemetery Chapel
• Lynnwood
• Massachusetts State Armory
• South Reading Academy
• St. Joseph School
• Temple Israel Cemetery
• Main Post Office
• Wakefield Park
• Wakefield Rattan Company
• Wakefield Trust Company
• Wakefield Upper Depot
• H. M. Warren School
• West Ward School
• Woodville School
• Woodward Homestead
• Yale Avenue Historic District

Neighboring towns
Reading (Template) North Reading Lynnfield (Template) I-93/ Woburn (Template) Wakefield Breakheart Reservation Stoneham (Template) Melrose (Template) Saugus (Template)

• Media related to Wakefield at Wikimedia Commons