Reed & Barton
Reed & Barton is a prominent American silversmith manufacturer based in the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, since 1824. Its products include sterling silver and silverplate flatware. The company has produced many varieties of britannia and silver products since Henry G. Reed[1] and Charles E. Barton took over the failing works of Isaac Babbitt[2] in Taunton. During the American Civil War, Reed & Barton produced a considerable quantity of weapons for Union Army soldiers and officers.
In 1928, Reed & Barton merged with silversmith Dominick & Haff.[3]
Reed & Barton was chosen to design and produce the official gold, silver, and bronze medals for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,[4] of which there are samples on display at the Old Colony Historical Society museum in Taunton. The company's products are used at the White House in Washington, D.C. Today, the company operates a factory store at the plant site, an outlet store at Wrentham Premium Outlets in Wrentham, Massachusetts, and an online store as well.
The company has remained privately owned by the family of Henry Reed. Besides the flatware, Reed & Barton operates other brands as well: Filed Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Massachusetts under case number 15-10534 on February 19, 2015.
- Reed & Barton Handcrafted Chests, the world's largest manufacturer of handmade chests, cigar humidors, pen chests, and hardwood flatware.
- Sheffield Collection, a company started in 1908 and purchased by Reed & Barton in 1973.
- Everyday stainless steel flatware designed for durability (and modern conveniences like dishwashers).
- It is the exclusive American importer of Belleek Fine Parian China and Aynsley Fine English Bone China Tableware.
The company's manufacturing complex in Taunton is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
References
Further reading
- The Whitesmiths of Taunton: A History of Reed & Barton 1824-1943, George Sweet Gibb, 1943.
- Sterling Seasons - The Reed & Barton Story, Renee Garrelick, 1998.