More History

St Johnsbury Man Has 100 Year Old Machine Shop

January 27, 1928 – Unknown Newspaper Article

The century old machine shop in this town has changed its name, but not its management, and Morton J. Reed has purchased the interests of the other stock-holders in the Hooker Manufacturing Corporation and will conduct the factory hereafter under the name of Hooker-Reed Company.

In the century since the shop was established on the Passumpsic River by J. C. and J. H. Paddock, there have been more than a dozen people interested either in its management or ownership, or both.  O. V. Hooker, and his son, Frank B. Hooker, were the longest owners and in 1912 capitalized their partnership into a $50,000 corporation.

Starting in 1878, they sold out in 1916 when Mr. Reed was advanced from bookkeeper to manager. He was educated at the St. Albans VT high school and received his business education at the Albany Business College. Mr. Reed is active in the church and fraternal life of the community.