Just a little history: When Wake Forest led in plow production

A lot of Wake Forest history is contained in the pages of the college newspaper, The Old Gold & Black. You can even get a sense of the town’s social life and pecking order by reading what could be called the gossip column – who visited whom – that was in most of the weekly editions.
The following was an article in the April 29, 1916 issue, the year the paper began publication. On the same page was the Arrow Jitney schedule of trips to and from Raleigh, a short announcement that banker and drugstore owner T.E. Holding was a candidate for the state legislature, and an ad for the Stratford Club’s weekend of plays: Shakespeare’s “Richard the Third” on Friday evening, Sheridan’s “The Rivals” as a Saturday matinee, and Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” on Saturday evening. Makes one wonder how they arranged the sets or remembered their lines for which play.
Local Companies Are Prosperous
Plow Manufacturers and Supply Shop Do Good Business
Wake Forest is the plow manufacturing center of a comparatively large part of the state. There are two up-to-date foundries here that specialize in making one-horse plows. As many as 2,000 castings for plows are produced in one week at these plants, which includes every part of many different models. These manufacturers have no competition of any consequence south of Norfolk, Va., nor north of Goldsboro, N.C. All the country east of the Seaboard Air Line to the Atlantic Coast Line Railway and south to Lacross, Va. and Weldon, N.C. to Wadesboro, N.C. is thoroughly worked by these companies. Since plows are in constant demand and must stand the test incident to their use, the fact that the local shops are unmolested by competition in so large a territory argues well for the quality of the article which they are producing.
Though these foundries specialize in making plows, they also make cast iron andirons, window weights, boiler grates, parts of stoves, and other ordinary iron castings. This diversity of work makes it possible for them to operate regularly, and give employment to an average of about twenty men. Their total volume of business is approximately $30,000 annually. These plants are known as the Wake Forest Foundry Co. and Dunn Plow Co., and are among the leading local industrial factories.
Wake Forest also has a modern general repair and supply shop. Any sort of vehicle from a log cart to a road cart, including automobiles, is quickly and skillfully repaired at this place. A full line of Fiske tires and Ford accessories is carried at all times and four men are given regular employment. Holliday and Taylor operate this business which amounts to approximately $6,000.00 a year.
(The Wake Forest Foundry was located about where the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce building stands, and the Dunn Plow Company was on what is now Brooks Street near the East Jones Avenue intersection.
(I am assuming that the Wake Forest Foundry was then or later owned by a member of the Saintsing family. I would love for any members of the Saintsing family to email or call me to tell me about this part of the family history.
(Dunn Plow began in some unused and derelict former “railroad buildings” in Forestville. The buildings were apparently abandoned when in 1874 the Wake Forest College trustees persuaded the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad to relocate the depot or station from Forestville to a site right in front of the college campus. They put it on a flatbed railroad car and trundled it north.
(I do not know the exact dates for either the Dunn Plow Company or the Wake Forest Foundry. The Wake Forest Foundry/Saintsing foundry was active through World War II but closed soon after. The site then became a gas station/car repair site owned by Henry Love Miller. When the town fire department needed a station the town either built a new one next to the rural fire department or converted the gas station to the two bays with office design. After the rural fire department decided to contract with the town for its department and the two departments, which had almost identical rosters, merged and built a new station on Elm Avenue, the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce totally renovated the town station and moved in.
(Some readers may wonder at “window weights.” The new 1900 sash windows depended on “sash weights,” which hung on ropes between two rollers in the casing at the sides of the windows and allowed the lower part of the window to be partly or fully open because the weights kept them there. It meant you did not have to prop the window open.)