HIBBARD, SPENCER, BARTLETT & Co.
1882 Chicago
TIME LINE
1853-54 Brown, Tuttle Co. Hardware, Michigan Ave. William Gold Hibbard, salesman
1855 Tuttle, Hibbard Co. Hardware, Michigan Ave. William Gold Hibbard joined Tuttle
1857 First Fire destroyed hardware building
1860 Tuttle, Hibbard Co., 62 Lake Street
1864 Adolphus Clay Bartlett started employment as a janitor
1865 Hibbard, Spencer & Co., 92-94 Michigan Avenue
1871 Great Chicago Fire, second HSB building destroyed. William Gold Hibbard resumed temporary business at his home at 1701 Prairie Avenue. Hibbard’s home was open not only to his firm, but for all friends whose families needed shelter.
1872 Hibbard, Spencer Co. 16-32 Lake Street
1882. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.
Adolphus Clay Bartlett joined the firm. William Hibbard-President; Franklin Spencer-Vice President; Bartlett-Secretary.
1902. Cruso Brand introduced by William Gold Hibbard Revenoc & Hibbard Brands also introduced in the early 1900s.
1903. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., State St. Bridge, built a fire proof 10-story building, condemned in 1924.
1907. Company's Directors:
A.C. BARTLETT - CHARLES H. CONOVER
Wm. G. HIBBARD Jr. - J.J. GRAVES - C.B. WHIPPLE - F.L. MACOMBER F.C. BARTLETT - H.B. LYFORD - F.H. WARREN - HENRY BENEKE - H.W. CHESTER PRITCHARD STEWART - F.D. HOAG - E.A. BURKE
1925. Hibbard, Spencer Bartlett & Co, 211 East Water St.
1930. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. celebrated their 75th Anniversary.
1932. True Value Brand was introduced
1943. The US Army Air Force took over the building briefly
1948. Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., Evanston Ill. New Modern Building.
1962 Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. was sold to John Cotter & Co. for the True Value Brand Name
HSB & Co. had a large selection of hardware, tools, cutlery, paints, sporting goods and many more items with different brand names to choose from. They also offered many advertised give-away items for their many merchants to distribute.
Some HSB & Co. Trade Marks include: O.V.B. (Our Very Best), Hibbard, Cruso, Revonoc, U.S.A., (Universal Satisfaction Guaranteed), AJAX, IL-A-NOY, True Value, Stand-By, Lady Hibbard and Chrysolite (enameled ware).
During the 1883-1920’s, Sandusky Plane Co. manufactured molding and plowplanes for HSB & Co. The planes were marked A.C. Bartlett, Ohio. In the1920s, Stanley Tool manufactured the Gage Plane for HSB & Co. and marked them with the OVB logo.
In the later years, HSB & Co. also sold Keen Kutter razor blades and pocket knives, Marbles hunting knives and Winchester flashlights as found in their catalogs.