F. A. Whitney Carriage Company

a work in progress

The F. A. Whitney Carriage Co. was begun in 1858 in Leominster, Massachusetts by cousins F. W. Whitney (Francis Wolfe Whitney) and F. A. Whitney (Francis Austin Whitney). They manufactured baby carriages.

They began in the basement of the old Lockey shop which they hired, a building where corn planters and apple parers were manufactured, on the easterly side of the railroad crossing on Mechanic Street, and engaged half a dozen employees. The first year only seventy-five carriages were made.

A fire in 1862 destroyed the building they occupied, causing complete loss of both stock and equipment, except for one planer which they continued to use for many years. Having no insurance, they borrowed from friends and re-established the business.

TO BE CONTINUED

Pictures of some of the carriages

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