retroelectro
1826 Daniel Stillson is born in Durham, New Hampshire.
1869 Designs and prototypes the iconic pipe wrench.
1840s-1850s Stillson works as a machinist and mechanic at the Charlestown Navy Yard (now Boston Navy Yard).
Greene and Walworth approve metal prototypes.
U.S. Patent No. 95,744 issued for “Improvement in Wrench.” September 13, 1870
Stillson tests the wrench by twisting a pipe until it breaks.
1861 Stillson enlists in the Union Navy at age 35.
1872 Walworth building was destroyed in the Great Boston Fire.
1876
Initially assigned to the steamship R.B. Forbes
Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone tests at Walworth.
Spring 1862 Stillson participates in blockading operations around Cuba and the capture of Cedar Key, Florida.
Wrench formally appears in Walworth’s catalog.
Stillson and Greene oversee engineering at Walworth during this time.
Late 1800s Stillson continues to patent various mechanical devices.
August 1862 Falls severely ill (possibly Typhoid Fever) and resigns from the Navy to recover.
1886
Stillson’s patent expires.
Engages in local politics and charity work.
Late 1862 / Early 1863 Recovers and reenlists in the Union Navy. Assigned to USS Santiago de Cuba and meets Colonel Levi Greene.
Other companies begin producing “Stillson” style wrenches.
June 1863 Stillson and Greene assist in capturing the British blockade runner “Victory,” renamed the USS Queen. Stillson serves on USS Queen under Greene for the remainder of his service.
August 1899 Daniel Stillson dies at age 73.
1905
Walworth files trademark application for “Stillson” name.
1865 Civil War ends and Stillson resigns from the Navy.
1920s Walworth launches “Genuine Stillson” advertising campaign.
1925
Joins Walworth Manufacturing Company.
Landmark court ruling: “Stillson” becomes a generic term.
Files an early wrench patent (not the famous one).
Walworth loses exclusive rights to the name.
we get technical
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