Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
ADAMS COMPANY (Encyclopedia Dubuque)
ADAMS COMPANY (The). In 2017 The Adams Company was located at 8040 Chavenelle Road in Dubuque. The Dubuque manufacturing facility was entirely devoted to the manufacturing of custom gears and shafts. These products, all made to the customers’ specifications, were sold to original equipment manufacturers of construction machinery, agricultural machinery, oil recovery equipment, commercial pumps, and to many other industries throughout the United States and Canada.
This Dubuque foundry shop was the former manufacturer of ADAMS-FARWELL AUTOMOBILES.
In June 1883, Eugene ADAMS and his brother Herbert purchased an interest in the ROBERTS AND LANGWORTHY IRON WORKS. In 1885 the company's name was changed to the Langworthy and Adams Iron Works reflecting Adams' purchase of Roberts' interest.
In 1892 the company was renamed The Adams Company, a foundry and machine shop, when Herbert Adams, Eugene's brother, bought the Langworthy interest. In 1892 the company moved to East Fourth Street after a disastrous fire destroyed the plant on Main Street. The foundry department made a specialty of machine castings.
Between 1898 and 1907 the company with the expert assistance of Fay Oliver FARWELL manufactured fifty-two ADAMS-FARWELL AUTOMOBILES of which only one is still known to exist. The company continued to specialize in gear cutting and early in the twentieth century developed and perfected an air-cooled ROTARY ENGINE that proved crucial to the aircraft industry.
In 2011, the company offered customers over one hundred years of experience making gears, shafts & power transmission parts for customers throughout the United States Canada. Relocated from the ICE HARBOR to 8040 Chavenelle Road, the company continued manufacturing precision gears and shafts to customers' specifications. Custom made gears and shafts were sold to original equipment manufacturers of agriculture and construction machinery, oil recovery equipment, pumps, winches, wind turbines and many other industries. The firm manufactured bevel gears, helical gears, spur gears, worms and worm gears, sprockets, and couplings. It also produced a variety of shafts: keyed, pinion, threaded or splined.
The address in the 1948 Dubuque Classified Business Directory through 1993 Dubuque City Directory was 100 E. 4th St.
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Source:
Adams Company website
Kittle, M. D. "Iron, Cars and Gears: A Quick Look at the History of The Adams Company," Telegraph Herald, September 30, 2004, p. 2. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ap1dAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zlwNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5149,6473449&dq=adams-farwell+motor&hl=en