O. C. Barber
Encyclopedia
Ohio Columbus Barber was an American
businessman, industrialist and philanthropist
. He was called "America's Match King" because of his controlling interest in the Diamond Match Company
, which had 85 per cent of the market in 1881. He founded the city of Barberton, Ohio
in 1891 and moved his manufacturing plant there in 1894. It produced 250 million matches per day. He also founded the Akron City Hospital.
. His father made matches by hand, which his sons sold door to door. O.C. received a common school education, and at age 15 began working for his father. At age 16, O.C. Barber became the company salesman. At 20, he was a partner in the business, and by 21 the general manager.
The company had difficulties through the civil war, and O.C.'s older brother, George H. Barber, who was a soldier, died of dysentery
, one of the many war casualties of disease. By 1880 the Barber Company had become the biggest match-producing company in Ohio and one of the largest in the nation. Unregulated competition made it difficult for the Barber Company to keep stable. In 1881, the Barber Company and 11 other match-producing companies merged into the Diamond Match Company, which dominated the match market, holding 85 per cent of it.
Barber was long a leader in his own home town, Akron. He was, for many years, president of the First National Bank of Akron, and when it was consolidated with the Second National Bank under the name of the First-Second National Bank he was unanimously elected to the presidency of the combined institutions.
To expand manufacturing operations, Barber purchased a large area from the town of New Portage, and founded the city of Barberton in 1891. He intended it to be a model for industrial and residential development. Barber controlled its early stages through The Barberton Land and Improvement Company. Within a few years, the city had expanded with industrial and residential areas, growing at such a rate it was nicknamed "Magic City". It attracted many new immigrants to its industrial jobs.
In 1894 Barber moved his match-making plant from Akron to Barberton, which helped the city's economy. The factory produced 250 million matches each day.
In 1889, Barber founded and organized the American Straw Board Company. He was one of the early manufacturers of rubber products, and organized and managed the Diamond Rubber Company up to the time of its acquirement by the B. F. Goodrich Company. The sewer-pipe and steel-tube industry next engaged his attention, and he became a western pioneer in this line of endeavor. He founded the Stirling Boiler Company which was merged with the Babcock and Wilcox Boiler Manufacturing Company of Barberton and Bayonne, New Jersey
, the concern thus becoming the largest manufacturer of steel boilers in the world. For a number of years they constructed four-fifths of the product used by the United States Navy
.
One of the biggest achievements of Barber's career, particularly from the humanitarian and economical standpoints, was the establishment, with Frederick Grinnell
and others, of the General Fire Extinguisher Company. Barber was the founder and sole owner of the O. C. Barber Concrete Company, whose plant at Barberton was said to be the largest of its kind in the world. It also made art works in concrete. He originated by the O. C. Barber Fertilizer Company, of Barber, Virginia. He also undertook the development of large tracts of land in and about the city of Canton, Ohio
, in connection with which he has organized and is operating a large plant under the name of the O. C. Barber Allied Industries Company. Some of these lands contain valuable coal, lime, and clay properties.
He was the originator and guiding spirit of Barber Subways, at Cleveland
. His plans called for the building of an underground system of subways connecting every railroad entering Cleveland, at the Lake Front, thus facilitating the handling of freight, and the establishment of the great warehouse system on the Lake Shore, where he owned large frontages.
In 1905, he began his last project, to create a scientific farm. He gradually purchased more than 3000 acres (12.1 km²). In 1908, Barber used his wealth to commission construction of a four-story, 52-room mansion in Barberton; it was completed in 18 months. Over 300 feet (91.4 m) long, the mansion was designed in the French Renaissance
Revival style by the Akron architects Harpster & Bliss. It cost more than $400,000 to construct and had an area of 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²). Among its amenities was an elevator with a glass skylight
. On the grounds were gardens and a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) park, designed by a Chicago
landscape architect firm. The extravagant building was reported by local and national papers; the New York Times called it the "finest mansion between New York and Chicago." Barber and his family moved into the mansion in October 1910. It stood until 1965, when it was demolished for suburban residential development.
In addition, Barber had 35 structures built as part of his experimental, scientific Anna Dean Farm, which covered 3500 acres (14.2 km²). He named it after his daughter Anna and her husband, Dr. Arthur Dean Bevan. These were also in the French Renaissance Revival style, as he believed farm buildings should be both beautiful and functional. He intended to have a farm that operated as efficiently as industry. For education, he opened the grounds to the public weekly on Sundays. Many of his facilities were the largest in the world at the time, such as the greenhouses, covering 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) and heated by the heating house; Barn #3, 751 feet (228.9 m) long, 40 feet (12.2 m) wide and three stories high, the largest barn in the world when constructed in 1912, and the brooder barns' incubator. He raised 50,000 chickens, which were allowed "free range". Barber had a barn for 140 thoroughbred Belgian draft horses, used for show and for farm work.
In 1920, Barber died at his mansion in Barberton. He willed his farm to Case Western University, intending it to serve as the basis of an agricultural college, but he failed to complete the financing before his death. Since neither his widow nor the university were able to operate the farm, the university sold most of the property. It was divided and redeveloped.
, when Barber was 26, he married Laura Brown of Coventry, Ohio. They had one daughter Anna, the namesake years later for a lake and park in Barberton, and a son Charles, who died young. Anna Dean Farm was named after their daughter and her husband, Dr. Arthur Dean Bevan. Laura died in 1895. After being a widower for 20 years, in 1915 Barber married Mary Orr, who had worked as his secretary and shared his vision.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, industrialist and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He was called "America's Match King" because of his controlling interest in the Diamond Match Company
Diamond Match Company
The Diamond Match Company was the largest manufacturer of matches in the United States in the late nineteenth century. Jarden is the current owner of the Diamond brand.-History:...
, which had 85 per cent of the market in 1881. He founded the city of Barberton, Ohio
Barberton, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,899 people, 11,523 households, and 7,443 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,095.2 people per square mile . There were 12,163 housing units at an average density of 1,349.4 per square mile...
in 1891 and moved his manufacturing plant there in 1894. It produced 250 million matches per day. He also founded the Akron City Hospital.
Biography
Ohio Columbus Barber (called O.C.) was born the second son of George and Eliza Barber in Middlebury, a small Ohio village later annexed by AkronAkron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. His father made matches by hand, which his sons sold door to door. O.C. received a common school education, and at age 15 began working for his father. At age 16, O.C. Barber became the company salesman. At 20, he was a partner in the business, and by 21 the general manager.
The company had difficulties through the civil war, and O.C.'s older brother, George H. Barber, who was a soldier, died of dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
, one of the many war casualties of disease. By 1880 the Barber Company had become the biggest match-producing company in Ohio and one of the largest in the nation. Unregulated competition made it difficult for the Barber Company to keep stable. In 1881, the Barber Company and 11 other match-producing companies merged into the Diamond Match Company, which dominated the match market, holding 85 per cent of it.
Barber was long a leader in his own home town, Akron. He was, for many years, president of the First National Bank of Akron, and when it was consolidated with the Second National Bank under the name of the First-Second National Bank he was unanimously elected to the presidency of the combined institutions.
To expand manufacturing operations, Barber purchased a large area from the town of New Portage, and founded the city of Barberton in 1891. He intended it to be a model for industrial and residential development. Barber controlled its early stages through The Barberton Land and Improvement Company. Within a few years, the city had expanded with industrial and residential areas, growing at such a rate it was nicknamed "Magic City". It attracted many new immigrants to its industrial jobs.
In 1894 Barber moved his match-making plant from Akron to Barberton, which helped the city's economy. The factory produced 250 million matches each day.
In 1889, Barber founded and organized the American Straw Board Company. He was one of the early manufacturers of rubber products, and organized and managed the Diamond Rubber Company up to the time of its acquirement by the B. F. Goodrich Company. The sewer-pipe and steel-tube industry next engaged his attention, and he became a western pioneer in this line of endeavor. He founded the Stirling Boiler Company which was merged with the Babcock and Wilcox Boiler Manufacturing Company of Barberton and Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
, the concern thus becoming the largest manufacturer of steel boilers in the world. For a number of years they constructed four-fifths of the product used by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
One of the biggest achievements of Barber's career, particularly from the humanitarian and economical standpoints, was the establishment, with Frederick Grinnell
Frederick Grinnell
Frederick Grinnell was a pioneer in fire safety.-Improved fire sprinkler:He was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 1855, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Inventor, engineer, and industrialist, Grinnell was the creator of the first practical automatic fire sprinkler, which...
and others, of the General Fire Extinguisher Company. Barber was the founder and sole owner of the O. C. Barber Concrete Company, whose plant at Barberton was said to be the largest of its kind in the world. It also made art works in concrete. He originated by the O. C. Barber Fertilizer Company, of Barber, Virginia. He also undertook the development of large tracts of land in and about the city of Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, in connection with which he has organized and is operating a large plant under the name of the O. C. Barber Allied Industries Company. Some of these lands contain valuable coal, lime, and clay properties.
He was the originator and guiding spirit of Barber Subways, at Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. His plans called for the building of an underground system of subways connecting every railroad entering Cleveland, at the Lake Front, thus facilitating the handling of freight, and the establishment of the great warehouse system on the Lake Shore, where he owned large frontages.
In 1905, he began his last project, to create a scientific farm. He gradually purchased more than 3000 acres (12.1 km²). In 1908, Barber used his wealth to commission construction of a four-story, 52-room mansion in Barberton; it was completed in 18 months. Over 300 feet (91.4 m) long, the mansion was designed in the French Renaissance
French Renaissance
French Renaissance is a recent term used to describe a cultural and artistic movement in France from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that many cultural historians believe originated in northern Italy in the fourteenth century...
Revival style by the Akron architects Harpster & Bliss. It cost more than $400,000 to construct and had an area of 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²). Among its amenities was an elevator with a glass skylight
Skylight
Skylight may refer to:* Skylight * Skylight , by David Hare* Skylight of a lava tube, a hole in the ceiling of the tube* Skylight, Arkansas* Skylight, a short film by David Clayton Rogers* Skylight Pictures, a film company...
. On the grounds were gardens and a 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) park, designed by a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
landscape architect firm. The extravagant building was reported by local and national papers; the New York Times called it the "finest mansion between New York and Chicago." Barber and his family moved into the mansion in October 1910. It stood until 1965, when it was demolished for suburban residential development.
In addition, Barber had 35 structures built as part of his experimental, scientific Anna Dean Farm, which covered 3500 acres (14.2 km²). He named it after his daughter Anna and her husband, Dr. Arthur Dean Bevan. These were also in the French Renaissance Revival style, as he believed farm buildings should be both beautiful and functional. He intended to have a farm that operated as efficiently as industry. For education, he opened the grounds to the public weekly on Sundays. Many of his facilities were the largest in the world at the time, such as the greenhouses, covering 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) and heated by the heating house; Barn #3, 751 feet (228.9 m) long, 40 feet (12.2 m) wide and three stories high, the largest barn in the world when constructed in 1912, and the brooder barns' incubator. He raised 50,000 chickens, which were allowed "free range". Barber had a barn for 140 thoroughbred Belgian draft horses, used for show and for farm work.
In 1920, Barber died at his mansion in Barberton. He willed his farm to Case Western University, intending it to serve as the basis of an agricultural college, but he failed to complete the financing before his death. Since neither his widow nor the university were able to operate the farm, the university sold most of the property. It was divided and redeveloped.
Family
After the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when Barber was 26, he married Laura Brown of Coventry, Ohio. They had one daughter Anna, the namesake years later for a lake and park in Barberton, and a son Charles, who died young. Anna Dean Farm was named after their daughter and her husband, Dr. Arthur Dean Bevan. Laura died in 1895. After being a widower for 20 years, in 1915 Barber married Mary Orr, who had worked as his secretary and shared his vision.
Legacy and honors
- Eight of the farm buildings of Anna Dean Farm survive. Five or six are owned and maintained by the Barberton Historical Society, which is stabilizing them. The eight surviving buildings are are the dairy barn, the colt barn, the creamery, the piggery, the broodery, the poultry manager's office, the feed barn, and the heating house, gradually being renovated and restored for other uses. One is now used as a private residence. The most significant, the former dairy barn, was restored in 1985 by the Yoder Brothers, horticulturalists who use it for their world headquarters. Its silos resemble castle towers and are visible from across the city. They are constructed of red brick edged in white concrete block, with royal blue trim and red tile roofing. The other barns have been structurally stabilized and at least partially restored. All but one may be renovated for other economic uses.
- Barberton, Ohio
- BarberBarber, CaliforniaBarber is an unincorporated community in Butte County, California. It lies at an elevation of 190 feet . It is 1 mile south of Chico, along the Southern Pacific Railroad; as Chico has expanded, it has so encroached on Barber that Barber is sometimes considered a neighborhood of Chico. Barber is...
near Chico, CaliforniaChico, CaliforniaChico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
was named after him. He had the neighborhood built as workers' housing for the employees of the Diamond Match factory in Chico. At its peak, Barber also had orchards, shops, a swimming pool, social hall, and neighborhoods of bungalow houses. Barber faced stiff competition by local manufacturers, and in 1908 he consolidated his operations in Ohio. The village of Barber was eventually absorbed into the town of Chico, CaliforniaChico, CaliforniaChico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
. - He founded Akron City Hospital in 1904 and in 1906 the Akron Chamber of Commerce.
External links
- Lake Anna Park Official Website
- "O.C. Barber", Find-A-Grave
- "O.C. Barber Mansion Collection", Browse Collections, Summit Memory