The Life and Influence of Henry Disston

Henry Disston was born in Tewkesbury, England on May 24, 1819, the third child of Thomas and Ann Harrod Disston. When Henry was about four years old, Thomas Disston moved the family to Derby, in Nottinghamshire. There he began to manufacture lace machines and eventually invented a unique machine which produced a rare, fine type of lace. As Henry grew up, he was instructed by his father in the ways of business and the general principles of mechanics.

Thomas Disston's unique lace machine was so impressive that, in 1833, a group of businessmen made him an offer to bring his machine to the United States and establish a mill at Albany, New York. Able only to take along with him his daughter, Marianna, and his son Henry (as a machinist apprentice), Thomas Disston embarked on a 60 day voyage to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, three days after landing in America at Philadelphia, Thomas died of apoplexy.

Upon his father's death in Philadelphia, Henry Disston began to seek work at just 14 years old, keeping in mind his father's advice that a skilled toolmaker could always earn a good, honest living. Henry answered an advertisement for a saw maker's apprentice at the Philadelphia firm of Lindley, Johnson, and Whitecraft. There, he learned to make saws and the tools related to their manufacture, and delved into his first experiments in machine making.

By 1840, at the age of 21, Henry Disston had accumulated enough savings, tools, and raw materials to leave the firm and start his own business. His total capital at the time was approximately $350 ( about $12,142.83 today). He rented a small basement at 21 Bread Street near 2nd and Market Streets and built his furnace himself. He borrowed a wheelbarrow and wheeled his own coal from the Delaware River to his shop a mile away, where he assembled handmade saws with two young assistants; David Bickley and Isaac Roberts.

Henry Disston had many obstacles to overcome in making his saw business a success. Foremost, he had to break down a prejudice against American-made saws in favor of those made in England. He knew his saws had to be superior in order to gain any sort of competitive edge over British saw makers. Although his handmade saws were indeed of a superior quality than his British competitors, he was forced to sell his product at such a narrow profit margin that for three or four years his business could barely stay afloat.

During this period, Henry married Amanda Mulvina Bickley. After a year of marriage, Amanda gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, both of whom died within hours. Tragically, Amanda became severely ill and also passed away shortly thereafter. On November 9, 1843, Henry Disston wed Mary Steelman, a direct descendant of Daniel Leeds, who was significant in the early stages of the development of New Jersey.

By 1844, Henry had been able to rent space and borrow the capital to erect the first steam powered saw machinery in the country. Unfortunately for young Henry, this equipment was confiscated by the Sheriff in payment for his landlord's back taxes. After outfitting another shop with steam-powered saw machinery in the vicinity of Front and Laurel Streets, his property was destroyed in a fire in 1849. It was then that Henry Disston decided never to rent shop space again. He purchased the lot adjacent to the fire-damaged site and built his first factory.

Two stories handed down from Disston history exemplify the dedication and honesty with which Henry conducted his business; a hardware dealer recalls a young Mr. Disston entering his store and asking to see a carpenter's saw. Upon observing it Henry said, "this is good for nothing," and broke the saw with a strike to the counter. He then laid down one of his own saws and said, "I defy you or any other man to break this Disston saw with similar treatment."

The dealer mentioned that he and others like him were forced to purchase Henry Disston's saws because of their superiority. Another hardware merchant related a story that, upon delivering an order of saws to his store, Henry noticed that one of the blades was soft and insisted that the whole order be returned. While the merchant preferred that some saws be left because he needed them to sell, Henry refused, saying that the whole order was manufactured together and he could not risk having inferior saws bear his name.

By 1850, after ten solid years of overcoming crises and through much hard work, the Disston trademark was recognized as a symbol for high quality and dependability. In 1855, Disston became the first American saw manufacturer to bring steel workers from Sheffield, England and open a crucible mill. To gain a competitive edge, he used his family connection in England to keep informed of steel-making trends. As a result, he was able to ascertain the use of a unique device which enabled him to recycle steel scraps and eliminate significant costs. 

The Civil War provided a large boost to Disston's enterprise. The War, as well as the tariff on foreign saws and tools, increased the sale of Disston products and by 1864 the business had increased to a profit of $35,000 per month (about $67,288 today). When a fire fiercely destroyed his factory this time, Henry Disston responded in a calm and decisive manner. He assured his workers that they would soon be busier than ever. Henry instructed them to clear away the bricks while they were still hot, purchased an adjoining lot and covered clear areas with awnings while setting up new machinery. Fifteen days after the fire, the Disston Saw Works was in full operation, doubling its previous output to about $70,000 per month. Henry Disston's Laurel Street plant eventually covered eight acres.

By 1871, after further expansion precipitated by a recognition and acceptance of his products in England (thanks to the marketing talent of his nephew, Henry, son of his older brother William) and the application of a bandsaw purchased in Paris, it was obvious that the Laurel Street plant was in need of enlargement. The already congested and unhealthy surroundings of his Kensington plant combined with the lack of available, affordable ground prompted the founder to seek alternative sites for his growing Saw Works.

After considering several sites, Henry Disston chose Tacony, a healthy and country-like village which was at the time a vacation sport for wealthy Philadelphians and home to local farmers. Tacony was unofficially established as a village in the year 1846, when William H. Gatzmer secured a charter for the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad. Because the residents of Kensington refused the railroad to pass through their community, Tacony became the railroad terminus where passengers had to board a boat to Walnut Street wharf from the Delaware River. Mr. Disston eventually purchased 390 acres of land on both sides of the railroad. At the time, the village consisted of the Buttermilk Tavern on the river, a railroad hotel, and approximately twelve houses.

Tacony was chosen for its transportation sources and for the fact that this mostly undeveloped area would facilitate profitable building lots for workers, even if areas and monies were set aside for residents' needs such as streets, sewers, and a school. Disston visualized a working class community where workers would not only be given a chance to live in homes with ample open space, but given the opportunity to own their own houses. This paternalistic outlook, exemplified by Disston's eagerness to fulfill his workers' economic, social, and cultural needs, has its roots in Victorian England, where paternalists viewed the employer/employee relationship as reciprocal and voiced opposition to the greed which permeated many commercial operations with their ruthless management and unhealthy, disorganized shops.

In 1872, construction began on the Tacony plant, and by 1876 construction of the first homes commenced on carefully designed lots, with careful attention given to the presence of light and air. Examples of Henry Disston's paternalistic views were evident as time progressed. Tasteful homes were constructed for workmen who were brought over from England with the assistance of Henry's nephew, William. Funds to purchase these homes were made available through a Building and Loan Association established by the Disston Firm. Henry Disston was ready to grant any assistance needed to see to it that his workers could purchase a home, even if advances needed to be made. Payments were made on such terms as were easiest to the buyer; including renting, if necessary, a five or six room residence for less than $10 per month. 

Other examples of Henry Disston's father influence on the community was evident in everyday Tacony life. He refused to use water from the Delaware River and built a pimping station which fed water to large water tanks near what is now Disston Recreation Center, and in turn, fed the pipes down Longshore Avenue via a gravity process. This gave Tacony Philadelphia's purest drinking water. In bringing to Tacony skilled workers from England, the culture of the English hevily influenced life in nineteenth century Tacony. For example, at the corner of Unruh and Hegerman Streets was the Washington Tea House, which served the British custom of tea drinking. To meet employees' cultural needs a hall and library was built on State Road, with Henry Disston agreeing to pay a fixed sum towards its maintenance. The library contained about two thousand volumes and the reading room was stocked with trade publications with a smoking and conversation room that was often used for games. In 1885, the Tacony Music Hall was erected on Longshore Avenue with the assistance of Disston money.

Like the Tacony Music Hall, many of Disston's contributions to Tacony are still evident today. He and his family aided liberally in the building of many of Tacony's houses of worship. His wife, Mary, had the Disston Presbyterian Church erected in honor of Henry and their daughter who passed away. The community park, which extends just West of the railroad along Keystone Street though all of old Tacony, was purposely laid out in such a way by Henry Disston. This stretch of greenery provided a scenic barrier between the residences and the industries, symbolized cleanliness, and became a pleasant Tacony attraction. As enduring as Disston Park has been, so have the deed restrictions placed on any land within the 390 acre Disston Estate:

"No tavern or building for the sale or manufacture of beer or liquors of any kind of description and no court house, carpentry, blacksmith, currier or machine shop, livery stables, slaughter houses, soap or glue-boiling establishment or factory of any kind whatsoever where steam-power shall be used or occupied on the said lots, tracts or piece of land or any part thereof."

By 1877, Henry Disston had fallen ill and never truly recovered. By early 1878 he had suffered a stroke which was followed by his death on March 16, 1878. This came only one and a half years after seeing his products receive the highest honors at the great Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. His vision of a working class community and the completion of the transfer of his enormous saw plant was carried out by his wife, Mary, and his sons.

Upon his death, Henry Disston was memorialized in the following manner by the Public Ledger:

"Although the great establishment founded by Henry Disston will continue to occupy the front rank it has won among the workshops of the world, it is still a serious loss to Philadelphia that he is no longer among her living citizens. He had the unwavering good will of his workmen and they had in him a friend as well as employer, always devoted to their welfare, always interested in their comfort, health and happiness, always ready with his kindly word of cheer and encouragement... The production of his work will go on, now that he has passed away, just as it did while he were living, for he has given the impulse, shown the way and lighted the track a long way into the future."