Brown Instrument Company

Brown Instrument Company was a U.S. firm known for high-quality instruments, including pyrometers, thermometers, hygrometers, tachometers, pressure gauges, flow meters, electrical meters, and industrial controls.

The company was founded in 1857 in Philadelphia by Edward Brown, inventor of the first pyrometer of American design. [Harvnb|Licht|1992|pp=161-162.] In 1934, the firm became a division of Honeywell.

The company was a large employer in North Philadelphia during most of the 20th century. A catalog of 1921 [Harvnb|ASME|1921|p=292.] mentions laboratories at Wayne Junction. A search on Google Book Search for "Brown Instrument" "Wayne Ave" shows multiple addresses for the company on the 4400 and 4500 blocks of Wayne Ave, which are adjacent to Wayne Junction. Another search result from 1915 mentions 311 Walnut St. Across the regional rail tracks from Fern Rock Transportation Center there is an old factory building topped by a sign marked "Honeywell - Brown Instrument Division".

The firm later moved to Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Honeywell's automation and control businesses still have a campus there, although the Brown Instrument name has been retired.

References

Bibliography

* citation
last = Licht
first = Walter
authorlink =
year = 1992
title = Getting Work: Philadelphia, 1840-1950
publisher = Harvard University Press
location = Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
id = ISBN 9780812217193; LCCN|91|0|35021
* citation
last = ASME
authorlink = American Society of Mechanical Engineers
year = 1921
title = Condensed Catalogues of Mechanical Equipment
publisher = ASME
location = New York
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=5WFbAAAAMAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA292,M1
id =