Antique Frick Machinery Framed Trade Sign

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c. 1920s; Frick Company Inc., Waynesboro, PA.

Antique painted metal sign for the Frick Co., a manufacturer of large machines … Read more c. 1920s; Frick Company Inc., Waynesboro, PA.

Antique painted metal sign for the Frick Co., a manufacturer of large machines and industrial equipment.
Despite the date on the sign, George and J.D. Frick opened their first shop in 1852; it was announced through the local newspaper to "inform their friends and the public generally that they have opened a new machine shop."
In the following years, George spent much of his time improving upon patents for newly released machinery, in addition to developing and patenting his own portable boiler and steam engine. Frick Co. managed to make it through the Civil War and WWI unscathed, business as usual.

However, Frick Co. was re-purposed into a war production facility during WWII, but resumed business as usual afterwards with a few key changes such as the manufacture of refrigeration equipment; this is likely due to the number of ice rinks being opened around this time and the general availability and affordability for the average post-war consumer. Frick Co. was eventually acquired by York International in 1987, and operated until 2013 as a manufacturer of strictly refrigeration machinery. See less