Early Guelph offered something many companies could use – water power. It was particularly conducive for the operation of mills – not simply grist mills but woollen and carpet mills as well. Situated in the area referred to as the mill-lands, Guelph Carpet took advantage of whatever power the river could provide to produce its product.

Early History

In 1867, two brothers, John (1818-1905) and Andrew Armstrong (1821-1894), went into business with John Anderson. These three men formed the Anderson and Armstrong Woollen Mill. Their mill was located in a large house on Huskisson (lower Wyndham). A successful business, it continued to grow, taking over a new stone building at the corner of Huskisson and Surrey.

In addition to expanded facilities, the three men took in another partner. This was Thomas McCrae. The result was a company known as Armstrong, McCrae and Company as Anderson began to withdraw from active involvement in the company.

The new partnership then relocated the company farther upstream on the Speed. In this larger building – once home to the Allan Mills’ Distillery, McCrae increasingly took charge. By 1871, the Armstrong brothers decided to divest themselves from the Guelph or McCrae Woollen Mills. They were joined by Alexander Knight. The result was the Armstrong Carpet Company or Armstrong’s on Neeve Street at the corner of Cross.

This first incarnation of the Guelph Carpet Company occupied a simple but effectively designed structure. According to an article in the 1876 local newspaper, “The building is a neat, compact frame structure, two stories in height, situated near the Neeve street bridge.” It consisted of:

    1.   Scouring department with two vats for cleaning the yarn

     2.   Dying kettles

     3.   Rinsing

    4.   Dry house – where the temperatures are kept do high workers can remain only a short time inside it

After these processes, the yarn (filling) was wound onto bobbins before being used in the actual weaving process. The weaver uses a shading paper indicating the right colour scheme to use when putting together a specific carpet. According to the same article, an experienced and skilled weaver working the loom could weave about fifteen yards per day and, as the reporter points out, the Armstrong brothers employ “none but workmen of the first water.”

As the company became successful in its line of work, it grew. In 1902, a well-known local architect, W. Frye Colwill (Carnegie Library, Torrance School), was called on to make an addition to the original factory. The intent was to expand into the Brussels carpet market.  His involvement resulted in the construction of a two-storey brick structure with a timber frame and a low-sloped gable that stretched along Queen Street (Arthur).

This was not the only time Colwill was called upon to help the Guelph Carpet Mill expand. He was to design a three-storey brick structure, in 1907. In addition, a weaving shed was called for in 1907. It was to be 166x122x40 feet high. These buildings were all part of a plan to expand the company’s weaving capabilities – specifically for the manufacture of Tapestry, Art, rug and square carpets. The expansion meant the company now had the space to install 30 looms.

In 1911, it was noted the company planned to build a brick building that was to be 90×30-feet. However, the next major work on the plant did not occur until 1920 when Wm. A. Mahoney (Tytler School) designed another addition – a three-storey section. This new addition stretched from the corner of Queen Street to Cross Street. In addition, an extra storey was added to the two-storey brick structure originally designed by Colwill.

As a result of the building program, by 1948, the carpet department covered 100,000 square feet. By this time, it had incorporated the Worsted and Spinning Mill under its umbrella. The spinning department was also 100,000 square feet.

Technology

The Guelph Carpet Company understood that being successful involved more than increasing production capacity. While expanding space for the addition of looms, was not the only reason why by 1916, Guelph Carpet was one of the largest manufacturers of carpets in Canada. Both the proprietors and managers understood their market.

Over the years, Guelph Carpet – alone and as Guelph Carpet and Worsted, adapted to the changing demands and fads. In 1864, they were the only company manufacturing stair carpets. They also made Super Unions Carpets. Over the years, they produced:

• Tapestry Carpets – In 1904, the company was first to produce this style in Canada
• Waterproof yarns – for swimsuits during and after WWII
• Nylon – post WWII

During WWI, the carpet mill produced cotton duck for use in tarpaulins and truck roof coverings. The Spinning Mill provided khaki and blue yarns for the uniforms of all branches of the armed forces.

To be successful meant acquiring the right equipment. In 1900, the company bought 12 additional looms in Philadelphia. In addition, some weavers were induced to come with them. Guelph Carpet also purchased looms specifically designed to produce Tapestry Carpets in 1904 and 10 more in 1911 for the Brussels department. By 1922, the company had 52 looms in operation and could produce broad tapestry carpet, narrow tapestry carpet and both Brussels and Wilton carpets.

To operate these, the company used initially the local water power. However, as the capability of this alone to satisfy their needs decreased, they switched to steam power looms. Power looms placed them level with many of their competitors provincially and nationally. It also placed them on better ground than several local carpet makers, including the Burrow Brothers (Royal City) Carpet Factory. This also meant upgrading their power sources. On August 13, 1941, they received approval from the Department of Munitions and Supply to install new steam-generating equipment.

Behind the successful moves and innovations the Guelph Carpet made, were the owners and general managers. These changed over the century the company was in existence in Guelph.

Early Owners/Managers

The original owners and managers were Andrew and John Armstrong. They had both come from Scotland, with John arriving first and setting up a bakery on Macdonnell Street. In 1873, after the Armstrongs had left what was now essentially McCrae’s Woollen Mills, only Andrew is listed as operating the bakery. Moreover, although Alexander Knight had initially entered the venture with the Armstrong Brothers, he seems to have vanished. This remains until later in the 1870s with no other partner listed. This was to change by the 1880s when Robert Dodds appeared and increasingly became involved in the daily operation of the carpet mill.

Dodds was not unknown to the Armstrongs. His ties to the family were strong. He came from the same place in Scotland as they did – Hawick, Roxburghshire. Not only did he enter into business with them upon arrival in Guelph, he also married into the Armstrong family when he took as his bride Elizabeth “Bessie” Armstrong (1860-1929) on October 14, 1883. His son, Robert Roland Dodds, born in 1885 in Guelph, also became involved in the business in a minor fashion.

John Armstrong no longer was involved in the operation in the 1890s, although he lived until 190, Dodds’ importance increased even further. Following the death of Andrew Armstrong in 1894, Robert Dodds became the sole proprietor. In fact, in an 1897 directory, it is referred to as Dodd’ Carpet Company. A year later, this was to change.

In 1898, he is joined by George McPherson, after merging his carpet factory with one of their competitors – the McPherson Brothers carpet factory. The details of the merger remain unknown. However, while Dodds remained as President, Secretary and Manager, George McPherson became Vice President. George’s brother, Robert also became a part of the firm.

This arrangement altered further in 1899. The company’s management and management board grew out of a need to acquire a charter. According to a January 1899 America’s Textile Reporter the incorporators of the company were:

1. Robert Dodds
2. Robert E. McPherson
3. George McPherson
4.  Christian Kloepfer
5. Robert Houte

The first four on the above list were provisional directors for the company.  This was a reorganization of the company. It also involved officially naming it the Guelph Carpet Company. This made perfect sense since neither of the Armstrong Brothers were currently involved in any aspect of the company.

While Christian Kloepfer became company president, George McPherson remained VP and Robert Dodds retained his position as secretary-treasurer and general manager. It was not much of a reduction because, by this time, Dodds had firmly established his role in the textile industries in Guelph.

Mr. Dodds and the Carpet/Textile Industry in Guelph

Although the Armstrongs played a significant role in the operation of their carpet factory, the daily affairs were left frequently to Robert Dodds. Robert signed on with the Armstrong’s but also had his fingers in many textile-related firms. By 1886, he was a partner with George Murray in a woollen mill. This was to move to Fergus. Dodds was also an owner of the Guelph Cotton Mill and a manager for the Guelph Worsted Spinning Company in the early 1900s. As a manager, he might have had some input into establishing the close relationship between the various companies.

By 1908, Guelph Carpet had become one of the largest carpet manufacturers in Canada. It was to remain so until it closed. It had established its prominence in the business under the changing leadership and the management of Dodds by being innovative and considering means to integrate technology into their production. The owners had also formed partnerships with companies in Guelph that would prove to be valuable suppliers or buyers for their products.

To reduce costs for purchasing wool, Guelph Carpet was involved closely with the Guelph Worsted and Spinning Mills as well as the Cotton Mills. The former, conveniently managed by Dodds, supplied Guelph Carpet with the woollen yarn required to make its products; the latter sold them cotton thread. It was a symbiotic relationship with both companies benefiting.

When Kloepfer died in 1913, Dodds was still the manager of the company. In fact, he remained in this position into the company was taken over once again – this time by non-Guelphites. However, by this time, he also had in place a superintendent of the factory who seems to have taken over much of the daily operations. This was Charles Henry Gethins who had previous experience in the T.F. Firth and Sons of Brighouse carpet and woollen mills in England. He had started work with them ca 1875 and left their employ around 1880 for a company in the United States. He was to end up working for the Guelph Carpet Company under Dodds in the early 1900s.

Accidents

The earliest recorded accident for the Guelph Carpet Mill was in 1887. James Gow was working overnight. He was alone in the building when the pulley of some machinery caught the back of his clothing. It began to pull him upward towards the ceiling. Fortunately, for him, the cheap nature of his clothing, combined with his weight, could not sustain the momentum. There was a tearing sound and Gow tumbled to the mill floor, sustaining only minor injuries.

Not all workplace incidents ended this “happily.” Several accidents occurred with varying degrees of severity between 1887 and 1946. In 1903, 16-year-old employee, Albert Beach was scalded as he scoured the yarn when the kettles supplying the intensely hot water boiled over. Mrs. White was badly bruised on her head and all over her body when a loom belt slipped off its pulley and struck her in 1905. Two years later, Agnes Sallow had several fingers crushed in a roller. In 1920, Edgar Hall slipped, fell and broke his arm. In 1930, Patrick Campbell lacerated two fingers on a shearing machine. They required amputation. The same occurred in 1946 when Jack Hebden lost three fingers to a shearing machine.

The working conditions, including the forbiddingly high temperatures in the dry house, the boiling process used to dye yarns, the unprotected sharp-edged equipment until the later 1900s, and pulleys and belts, all contributed to the potential for accidents to happen.

On Strike: Early Walkouts

By 1900, Guelph Carpet employed some 200 hands. Much of the better-paying work was performed by skilled craftsmen, specifically weavers. They were the ones who became members of a union, in this case, the Brussel Carpet Weavers were members of Brussel Carpet Weavers Union 271. The Guelph Union had formed in August of that year.

In 1900, the company decided to import 12 looms from Philadelphia. They also decided to hire 15 weavers from the same city to work the looms. The workers arrived and integrated with the Guelph weavers. However, the company had promised them that the wages they would receive at Guelph Carpet would be the same as they had received from their employers in Philadelphia. The company reneged. The weavers went on strike from August 31 to October 16. They accepted the reduction conditionally.

It was also the weavers who walked out four years later. This time, 7 men and 6 “girls” who were ingrain weavers were upset because they were receiving piecework pay for day work. Instead, they wanted Toronto prices. They were out from June 28 until August 8 before a settlement was reached.

These were both minor frays between the weavers and their employer. In 1909, on December 11, 28 Brussel Carpet weavers went on strike. They did not know they would be out for an entire year. The matter revolved around the request of one worker asking to receive extra pay for the extra time he put in to finish off a carpet due to being sent to Toronto that same day. The company, through the then supervisor CW Gethins, refused and the weavers walked. Unfortunately, as the strike dragged on, the company simply hired other men to fill their spots. Although, as the Industrial Banner wrote “Guelph Brussels Carpet Weavers Stand Firm,” it failed to garner them either support or sympathy. The company continued to produce carpets. After a year, with 11 men still out, the company rehired 7.

This was not in the agreement struck between the United Textile Workers of America (UTWA) and the company. This is interesting because the Brussels Union was not affiliated with the UTWA. However, the UTWA did have a union in place in Guelph Carpet. This was the Tapestry Weavers’ Union, Local 585 formed in March 1907.