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Monarch Machine Tool Company
Monarch Machine Tool Company, has a storied history in
Sidney. I. H. Thedieck, the leading
retailer in the town at the turn of the century, was instrumental in bringing Monarch to
Sidney in 1909. He purchased the assets from a defunct business in Detroit and raised
money for the sale of the stock in part by hiring a driver to circle the courtsquare in a wagon, advertising the stock
for sale.
Monarch made machine to ols. The company’s weekly payroll for the first
year was $170. World War I brought
phenomenal growth to Monarch as government orders for engine lathes poured into the plant.
A total of 2,350 lathes were shipped during 1917 (versus 186 lathes in 1910) and a still
larger number the next year. By the end of World War I in 1918, the company employed more
than 250 workers.
Over the next half century, Monarch meant more to the local economy and the welfare of
this community than any other business. At the height of WW II, 2,500 workers, including
500 women, went home with paychecks from Monarch. The company won five prestigious Navy
'E' awards for superior achievement during the war. The facility is located at 615 Oak
Avenue.
Industry segment
written in January, 1998 by Rich Wallace
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