BUR Barbell Company
Encyclopedia
The BUR Barbell Company was a privately held American barbell
company in business from 1928 until 1966. The company traces its origins to Bradenton, Florida
, and Birmingham, Alabama
, but – after the second World War
– moved to Lyndhurst, New Jersey
to take advantage of the rapid economic and population growth in the region. At one time, BUR Barbell was the second largest producer of barbells and physical fitness equipment in the United States.
BUR manufactured a limited selection of weight training
products that narrowed over time until, by the early 1950s, it consisted of a single barbell set and component parts. BUR Barbell produced plates for itself as well as for others such as the Jackson International Barbell Company, the Dan Lurie Barbell Company, and Ace Barbell.
. Actual manufacturing
started in 1931. From the beginning, all BUR branded products were produced in the company's own foundries
.
The President and founder of the BUR Barbell Company was David "Dave" Hall. His wife, Kathryn Hall, was Corporate Secretary and Office Manager of the BUR Lyndhurst facility.
. He died on Apr 25, 1966, in Passaic, New Jersey
.
He received an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Science from the University of Florida
. After graduation, Mr. Hall taught both Math and Science and was a High School Principal for several years. It was during this time that he laid the groundwork for what was to become the BUR Barbell Company of Bradenton, Florida.
From 1931 until 1941, BUR produced various free weight products at its Bradenton facility. These products could be purchased via mail order
for shipment throughout the United States
. Sometime during this period, additional foundries were established in Alabama
and - reportedly - in other southern states as well. Barbell production appears to have stopped during the war but was restarted shortly thereafter.
For three years during the Second World War, Mr. Hall served as an officer on the staff of Admiral Nimitz in the South Pacific
. He was decorated in the Philippine Campaign
.
After the war ended, a decision was made to move the BUR Barbell Company headquarters from Florida
to New Jersey
.
, and railroad siding. This layout gave BUR Barbell a large measure of control over the manufacturing and distribution process.
Scrap metal
was the primary source material for the BUR foundry. Eyewitnesses report that, at any given time, there were large piles of scrap metal on the property easily visible from the street.
In the 1950s, the demand for BUR barbell sets sometimes outstripped the supply. During the holiday seasons, long lines of prospective customer
s could be seen onsite placing orders for future delivery.
With the exception of the “BUR Quick Change” set, standard plate sizing was the norm. BUR did not manufacture Olympic bars or Olympic-sized plates. The original BUR-BEL plates had a center hole of 1-1/4” and were designed to fit a 1-1/16” bar. Sometime in the 1950s, the bar diameter was reduced to 1” and the plates were drilled with a 1-1/16” hole.
During its 38 years of operation, BUR Barbell offered the following products:
Barbell Sets
85, 105, 175, 185, 275, and 285 Pound BUR-BEL Sets – These were offered in both "Standard" (unmarked) and "Deluxe" (BUR-BEL) versions.
BUR Quick Change Set - The “BUR Quick Change” was a barbell with slotted ends. Quick Change weights were U-shaped and slotted - not round - and had hooks attached to them. These hooks allowed for the quick and easy loading and unloading of weight plates. The BUR Quick Change was patented in 1930 and first offered for sale in 1938 for $60 ($930 in 2010 dollars).
95 Pound Set – A standard/deluxe set offered via mail-order.
100 Pound Set – A standard set offered via mail-order.
110 Pound Set – A standard set offered during the 1950s and 1960s and advertised as the “finest ever manufactured”.
185 Pound Set – This “Deluxe” set was sold during the 1930s and 1940s under the BUR-BEL brand and included 155 pounds of plates, a standard bar, dumbbell
handles with collars, and – unlike later sets – kettlebell
handles and iron boots (called “BUR Foot-Weights”).
BUR-130 – Sometime in the early-1950s, the “BUR-130” became the only barbell set offered. It set consisted of a 4-1/2’ knurled pipe bar, dumbbells with fixed collars, and 110 pounds of weight plates.
BUR-140 – The “BUR-140” is arguably the best known BUR product. It replaced the BUR-130. Unlike previous BUR sets, the BUR-140 came with a 38-inch chrome-plated and knurled revolving barbell sleeve. This sleeve increased the grip diameter of the 5 feet (1.5 m) steel bar from 1" to 1-1/8”. The set's dumbbells also included removable revolving sleeves. Finally, the BUR-140 came with BUR’s own oversized inner collars; these collars were machined to allow the bar sleeve to rotate freely while simultaneously eliminating the gaps between sleeve and collars that were common at the time. According to BUR brochures, the new bar could support a maximum weight of 400-pounds. The BUR-140 sold for $16.80 in the early 1950s (about $140 in 2010 adjusted dollars) and was still being produced when the company closed in the 1960s.
Custom Sets
Although – in its advertising
literature – BUR often stressed the advantages of purchasing one of its "feature" barbell sets, the company also sold customized sets upon customer request.
Dumbbells
Throughout its history, BUR offered several different dumbbell variations. The earliest BUR dumbbell was a simple bar with four removable collars. Later versions included a welded on sleeve. The final BUR dumbbell design consisted of a standard 12-inch bar with a removable chrome-plated
sleeve and two standard collars.
Multifunctional Exercise Stand
This product, introduced in the mid-1950s, was an exercise stand that could be used as a Squat Rack, Prone Bench, Abdominal Board, Leg Raise, Dip Station, etc.
Kettlebell Handles
Kettlebell handles were offered with the BUR 185 pound set. Eventually, they were discontinued. Later BUR advertising branded kettlebell handles as “gadgets” with “practically no value”.
Iron Boots
During the 1930s and 1940s, the BUR Barbell Company sold iron boots under the trade name “BUR Foot-Weight” The BUR Foot-Weight incorporated a design whereby weights were attached to the bottom of the boot rather than to the sides. Iron boots were included with both the BUR Quick Change Set and the BUR 185 Pound Set. They were eventually discontinued.
Weight Plates
BUR sold standard weight plates via mail-order and factory direct
in Lyndhurst. BUR plates were shorter and thicker than most other brands. This gave them the advantage of being virtually "unbreakable". Unfortunately, the increased thickness also meant that fewer plates could fit on any given bar. BUR plates were offered only in pounds; the metric system was never used.
Bars and Collars
From the early 1930s until the early 1950s, BUR sold a standard 1-1/16” bar. Collars were attached separately. Most, if not all, of these bars were knurled in 3 places. None had a separate revolving sleeve. There were no markings on the BUR bars or collars to distinguish these from the bars of other manufacturers. Bar lengths ranged from 4’ to 6’.
In the 1950s, with the introduction of the BUR-140, BUR began selling a bar with a 1” diameter and a removable 38” chrome plated sleeve that allowed for bar rotation during lifts. BUR oversized inner collars were included with the new bar. These collars were stamped “BUR BARBELL Co LYNDHURST NEW JERSEY”.
Finally, for a brief period during the 1950s, BUR also offered a 10-pound hollow bar with welded on end-caps.
From 1931 until the early 1950s, the “BUR-BEL” trade-name was stamped on BUR Barbell plates. In the early years, the name was stamped on all plates. By 1940, it was only used for certain "Deluxe" sets. Even without the name stamp, BUR-BEL era plates can be distinguished from other BUR plates by differences in design and a larger center hole diameter (1-1/4" vs. 1-1/16").
In the 1950s, the name “BUR” replaced “BUR-BEL” on all plates. "BUR" was usually stamped on the front of every plate intended for sale with BUR sets. Plates cast for other barbell companies did not have this marking. In addition, plates manufactured for ACE Barbell had the name “ACE” stamped where the name "BUR" would normally be; these plates were identical in all other respects. BUR Barbell collars were also stamped "BUR".
In the early 1960s, the name "BUR" stopped appearing on plates. The new plate design included the poundage but nothing more. This allowed for greater manufacturing standardization
and helped keep costs (and prices) down. The name "BUR" continued to be stamped on the barbell collars until all production ended.
The BUR Numbering System
Another factor that distinguished BUR Barbell from other barbell manufacturers was the use of the BUR numbering system. From the late 1930s until the early 1960s, every BUR weight plate had a separate number - besides poundage - stamped into it. These numbers were meant to work with an exercise record keeping system designed by Dave Hall. Even some of the plates that BUR manufactured for other barbell companies had these numbers stamped into them.
The BUR numbering system was discontinued in the 1960s.
From August 1939, until January 1940, the BUR Barbell Company published, “The Barbell.” This was a four-page newsletter
written and edited by Dave Hall and Mark Berry
(who was listed as “Head Physical Trainer for the BUR Barbell Company" at the time).
All other publications from the BUR Barbell Company came in the form of advertisements, articles in magazines produced by others, and letters to prospective customers.
Advertising
Starting around 1941 – with time off for the War – and resuming in early 1946, Bur Barbell began advertising in Popular Science
Magazine and Popular Mechanics
Magazine. This practice continued until 1964.
The BUR Lyndhurst facility was shuttered between 1966 and 1967. The 3-acre property went unoccupied for the next several years. In the 1970s it was sold to a non-manufacturing concern and the BUR Barbell factory was torn down.
There is anecdotal evidence (based on observation) that the BUR-BEL plate and BUR collar patterns were eventually sold to the Roberts Barbell Company of Pennsylvania and were used to produce barbell sets until the early 1970s.
Barbell
A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, weightlifting and powerlifting. Barbells range in length from to although bars above 7' in length are used primarily by powerlifters and aren't commonplace...
company in business from 1928 until 1966. The company traces its origins to Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
, and Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, but – after the second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
– moved to Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Lyndhurst is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 20,554.Lyndhurst was originally formed as Union Township on February 19, 1852 from portions of Harrison Township...
to take advantage of the rapid economic and population growth in the region. At one time, BUR Barbell was the second largest producer of barbells and physical fitness equipment in the United States.
BUR manufactured a limited selection of weight training
Weight training
Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...
products that narrowed over time until, by the early 1950s, it consisted of a single barbell set and component parts. BUR Barbell produced plates for itself as well as for others such as the Jackson International Barbell Company, the Dan Lurie Barbell Company, and Ace Barbell.
History & management
The BUR Barbell Company officially began operations in 1928. The first three years were spent in planning and product designProduct design
-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
. Actual manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
started in 1931. From the beginning, all BUR branded products were produced in the company's own foundries
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
.
The President and founder of the BUR Barbell Company was David "Dave" Hall. His wife, Kathryn Hall, was Corporate Secretary and Office Manager of the BUR Lyndhurst facility.
Dave Hall and the early years of BUR Barbell
David G. Hall was born on May 9, 1907, in Valley Head, AlabamaValley Head, Alabama
Valley Head is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 611.-Geography:Valley Head is located at .According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
. He died on Apr 25, 1966, in Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...
.
He received an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Science from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. After graduation, Mr. Hall taught both Math and Science and was a High School Principal for several years. It was during this time that he laid the groundwork for what was to become the BUR Barbell Company of Bradenton, Florida.
From 1931 until 1941, BUR produced various free weight products at its Bradenton facility. These products could be purchased via mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
for shipment throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Sometime during this period, additional foundries were established in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and - reportedly - in other southern states as well. Barbell production appears to have stopped during the war but was restarted shortly thereafter.
For three years during the Second World War, Mr. Hall served as an officer on the staff of Admiral Nimitz in the South Pacific
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
. He was decorated in the Philippine Campaign
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
.
After the war ended, a decision was made to move the BUR Barbell Company headquarters from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
The Barbell Factory in Lyndhurst, New Jersey
From 1946 until 1966, Bur Barbell occupied a 3-acre property on Orient Way in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. The BUR factory was built from the ground up and had its own foundry, machine and pattern shopPattern (casting)
In casting, a pattern is a replica of the object to be cast, used to prepare the cavity into which molten material will be poured during the casting process.Patterns used in sand casting may be made of wood, metal, plastics or other materials...
, and railroad siding. This layout gave BUR Barbell a large measure of control over the manufacturing and distribution process.
Scrap metal
Scrap Metal
Scrap Metal were a band from Broome, Western Australia who played rock music with elements of country and reggae. The members had Aboriginal, Irish, Filipino, French, Chinese, Scottish, Indonesian and Japanese heritage. The band toured nationally as part of the Bran Nue Dae musical and with...
was the primary source material for the BUR foundry. Eyewitnesses report that, at any given time, there were large piles of scrap metal on the property easily visible from the street.
In the 1950s, the demand for BUR barbell sets sometimes outstripped the supply. During the holiday seasons, long lines of prospective customer
Customer
A customer is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services...
s could be seen onsite placing orders for future delivery.
Product types
BUR Barbell produced a limited line of free-weight products. This approach kept manufacturing simple and efficient and allowed BUR to offer a quality product at a lower price than many competitors.With the exception of the “BUR Quick Change” set, standard plate sizing was the norm. BUR did not manufacture Olympic bars or Olympic-sized plates. The original BUR-BEL plates had a center hole of 1-1/4” and were designed to fit a 1-1/16” bar. Sometime in the 1950s, the bar diameter was reduced to 1” and the plates were drilled with a 1-1/16” hole.
During its 38 years of operation, BUR Barbell offered the following products:
Barbell Sets
85, 105, 175, 185, 275, and 285 Pound BUR-BEL Sets – These were offered in both "Standard" (unmarked) and "Deluxe" (BUR-BEL) versions.
BUR Quick Change Set - The “BUR Quick Change” was a barbell with slotted ends. Quick Change weights were U-shaped and slotted - not round - and had hooks attached to them. These hooks allowed for the quick and easy loading and unloading of weight plates. The BUR Quick Change was patented in 1930 and first offered for sale in 1938 for $60 ($930 in 2010 dollars).
95 Pound Set – A standard/deluxe set offered via mail-order.
100 Pound Set – A standard set offered via mail-order.
110 Pound Set – A standard set offered during the 1950s and 1960s and advertised as the “finest ever manufactured”.
185 Pound Set – This “Deluxe” set was sold during the 1930s and 1940s under the BUR-BEL brand and included 155 pounds of plates, a standard bar, dumbbell
Dumbbell
The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs .-History:...
handles with collars, and – unlike later sets – kettlebell
Kettlebell
The kettlebell or girya is a cast-iron weight used to perform ballistic exercises that combine cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training.Sizes may range from to...
handles and iron boots (called “BUR Foot-Weights”).
BUR-130 – Sometime in the early-1950s, the “BUR-130” became the only barbell set offered. It set consisted of a 4-1/2’ knurled pipe bar, dumbbells with fixed collars, and 110 pounds of weight plates.
BUR-140 – The “BUR-140” is arguably the best known BUR product. It replaced the BUR-130. Unlike previous BUR sets, the BUR-140 came with a 38-inch chrome-plated and knurled revolving barbell sleeve. This sleeve increased the grip diameter of the 5 feet (1.5 m) steel bar from 1" to 1-1/8”. The set's dumbbells also included removable revolving sleeves. Finally, the BUR-140 came with BUR’s own oversized inner collars; these collars were machined to allow the bar sleeve to rotate freely while simultaneously eliminating the gaps between sleeve and collars that were common at the time. According to BUR brochures, the new bar could support a maximum weight of 400-pounds. The BUR-140 sold for $16.80 in the early 1950s (about $140 in 2010 adjusted dollars) and was still being produced when the company closed in the 1960s.
Custom Sets
Although – in its advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
literature – BUR often stressed the advantages of purchasing one of its "feature" barbell sets, the company also sold customized sets upon customer request.
Dumbbells
Throughout its history, BUR offered several different dumbbell variations. The earliest BUR dumbbell was a simple bar with four removable collars. Later versions included a welded on sleeve. The final BUR dumbbell design consisted of a standard 12-inch bar with a removable chrome-plated
Chrome plating
Chrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness.-Process:A component to be chrome plated will...
sleeve and two standard collars.
Multifunctional Exercise Stand
This product, introduced in the mid-1950s, was an exercise stand that could be used as a Squat Rack, Prone Bench, Abdominal Board, Leg Raise, Dip Station, etc.
Kettlebell Handles
Kettlebell handles were offered with the BUR 185 pound set. Eventually, they were discontinued. Later BUR advertising branded kettlebell handles as “gadgets” with “practically no value”.
Iron Boots
During the 1930s and 1940s, the BUR Barbell Company sold iron boots under the trade name “BUR Foot-Weight” The BUR Foot-Weight incorporated a design whereby weights were attached to the bottom of the boot rather than to the sides. Iron boots were included with both the BUR Quick Change Set and the BUR 185 Pound Set. They were eventually discontinued.
Weight Plates
BUR sold standard weight plates via mail-order and factory direct
Factory direct
Factory direct is a term used to explain when a manufacturer sells directly to the end-user of a product. Most products bought and sold by consumers are purchased through intermediaries and in many cases can include two tiers made up of distributors and resellers.Each selling tier adds cost to the...
in Lyndhurst. BUR plates were shorter and thicker than most other brands. This gave them the advantage of being virtually "unbreakable". Unfortunately, the increased thickness also meant that fewer plates could fit on any given bar. BUR plates were offered only in pounds; the metric system was never used.
Bars and Collars
From the early 1930s until the early 1950s, BUR sold a standard 1-1/16” bar. Collars were attached separately. Most, if not all, of these bars were knurled in 3 places. None had a separate revolving sleeve. There were no markings on the BUR bars or collars to distinguish these from the bars of other manufacturers. Bar lengths ranged from 4’ to 6’.
In the 1950s, with the introduction of the BUR-140, BUR began selling a bar with a 1” diameter and a removable 38” chrome plated sleeve that allowed for bar rotation during lifts. BUR oversized inner collars were included with the new bar. These collars were stamped “BUR BARBELL Co LYNDHURST NEW JERSEY”.
Finally, for a brief period during the 1950s, BUR also offered a 10-pound hollow bar with welded on end-caps.
Product notes
BUR-BEL vs. BURFrom 1931 until the early 1950s, the “BUR-BEL” trade-name was stamped on BUR Barbell plates. In the early years, the name was stamped on all plates. By 1940, it was only used for certain "Deluxe" sets. Even without the name stamp, BUR-BEL era plates can be distinguished from other BUR plates by differences in design and a larger center hole diameter (1-1/4" vs. 1-1/16").
In the 1950s, the name “BUR” replaced “BUR-BEL” on all plates. "BUR" was usually stamped on the front of every plate intended for sale with BUR sets. Plates cast for other barbell companies did not have this marking. In addition, plates manufactured for ACE Barbell had the name “ACE” stamped where the name "BUR" would normally be; these plates were identical in all other respects. BUR Barbell collars were also stamped "BUR".
In the early 1960s, the name "BUR" stopped appearing on plates. The new plate design included the poundage but nothing more. This allowed for greater manufacturing standardization
Standardization
Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....
and helped keep costs (and prices) down. The name "BUR" continued to be stamped on the barbell collars until all production ended.
The BUR Numbering System
Another factor that distinguished BUR Barbell from other barbell manufacturers was the use of the BUR numbering system. From the late 1930s until the early 1960s, every BUR weight plate had a separate number - besides poundage - stamped into it. These numbers were meant to work with an exercise record keeping system designed by Dave Hall. Even some of the plates that BUR manufactured for other barbell companies had these numbers stamped into them.
| Plate Stamp | Weight |
|---|---|
| No.0 | 1-1/4 lbs. (BUR-BEL only) |
| No.1 | 2-1/2 lbs. |
| No.2 | 5 lbs. |
| No.3 | 10 lbs. |
| No.4 | 20 lbs. |
| No.5 | 40 lbs. |
| No.6 | 50 lbs. (BUR-BEL only) |
The BUR numbering system was discontinued in the 1960s.
Corporate publications and advertising
PublicationsFrom August 1939, until January 1940, the BUR Barbell Company published, “The Barbell.” This was a four-page newsletter
Newsletter
A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...
written and edited by Dave Hall and Mark Berry
Mark Berry (author)
Mark H. Barry was a successful national weight lifting champion, author and trainer. He was born in Chicago in 1896 the son of an engineer and inventor. His father's family was of Scottish descent by way of Northern Ireland and his mother's family traces their origins to New Amsterdam in the...
(who was listed as “Head Physical Trainer for the BUR Barbell Company" at the time).
All other publications from the BUR Barbell Company came in the form of advertisements, articles in magazines produced by others, and letters to prospective customers.
Advertising
Starting around 1941 – with time off for the War – and resuming in early 1946, Bur Barbell began advertising in Popular Science
Popular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
Magazine and Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
Magazine. This practice continued until 1964.
The End of the BUR Barbell Company
In 1966, Dave Hall, the driving force behind the BUR Barbell Company, died at the age of 58. Although there was some speculation that the company would continue to operate under the management of other family members, there is no evidence that this ever came to be.The BUR Lyndhurst facility was shuttered between 1966 and 1967. The 3-acre property went unoccupied for the next several years. In the 1970s it was sold to a non-manufacturing concern and the BUR Barbell factory was torn down.
There is anecdotal evidence (based on observation) that the BUR-BEL plate and BUR collar patterns were eventually sold to the Roberts Barbell Company of Pennsylvania and were used to produce barbell sets until the early 1970s.