M.M. Rhodes and Sons Company facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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M.M. Rhodes and Sons Company
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 12 Porter St., Taunton, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 1.9 acres (0.77 ha) |
| Built | 1861 |
| Architectural style | Early Commercial |
| MPS | Taunton MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 84002207 |
The M.M. Rhodes and Sons Company was a very old factory in Taunton, Massachusetts. It was known for making buttons, especially special ones for shoes. The factory started way back in 1861 and kept making buttons until 2014! It was one of the first places in the United States to successfully make shoe buttons out of a material called papier-mâché.
This factory building is one of the last remaining old factory buildings in Taunton. Because of its long history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. This means it's an important historical site worth protecting.
What the Factory Looked Like
The Rhodes Company factory is a group of seven buildings connected together. They cover an area of about 1.9 acres (which is like 1.5 football fields!). The main building was built in 1880. It's a long, three-story building made of brick.
The other buildings are attached to this main one. They form a "U" shape with an open space in the middle. The oldest building on the site was built around 1865. It's made of wood and was made bigger several times over the years.
A History of Buttons and Innovation
The M.M. Rhodes and Sons Company was started in 1861 by a man named Marcus Morton Rhodes. He began by renting space in the factory area. At first, Marcus made many different things. This included parts for hoop skirts and various types of nails and tacks.
The Rise of Papier-Mâché Buttons
Marcus Rhodes later invented a special machine. This machine could make shoe buttons out of papier-mâché. Papier-mâché is a material made from paper pulp mixed with glue or paste. It becomes hard when it dries.
Making buttons from papier-mâché became a very important part of the company's business. This happened especially after 1870. Supplies of buttons from France were cut off because of the Franco-Prussian War. This made Marcus Rhodes decide to make his factory even bigger. He built the main factory building that was used until the company closed in 2014. The M.M. Rhodes and Sons Company stayed a family-run business for its entire history.
