Pennsylvania Match Company

Infobox nrhp
name = Pennsylvania Match Company
nrhp_type =

---

caption = Match factory in 1900's
location = 367 Phoenix Avenue
Bellefonte, PA 16823
lat_degrees = 40.907780
long_degrees = -77.782014
built =
architect =
architecture =
added = 2001-09-07 [ [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20010914.htm National Register of Historic Places Listings September 14, 2001] ]
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum = 01000954
mpsub =
governing_body = The Pennsylvania Match Company, known locally as the "Match Factory", was founded in 1899 by Col. W. Fred Reynolds, Joseph T. Montgomery and S. A. Donachy with $200,000 of their own money.

Mr. Donachy owned several patents for match-making machinery and worked as Superintendent for the match company Hanover & York prior to their sale. [cite news |title=AN INDEPENDENT MATCH PLANT; Bellefonte (Penn.) Business Men Will Oppose the Trust |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A0DE4DC133DE633A25753C3A96F9C94689ED7CF |work=New York Times |date=1899-09-30 |page=9 ]

A convert|31000|sqft|m2 brick building was constructed in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania and production began in 1900. By 1911, the company was one of the 8 largest producers of wooden matches in the US. At its peak during WWII, the factory employed almost 400 and merged with Universal Match Corporation. The business closed in 1947 due to competition from book matches and cigarette lighters. [cite web | title = Historic Bellefonte | publisher = Victorian Bellefonte | date = 2005 | url = http://www.victorianbellefonte.com/historic.html | accessdate = 2008-08-17 ]

The red brick buildings stood vacant for over 50 years until the American Philatelic Society, looking for more space at lower cost [cite news |first=Rich |last=Kerstetter |title=Stamp Society Pursues Purchase of Former Bellefonte, Penn., Match Factory |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-6489550_ITM |work=Centre Daily Times |date=2000-08-24 ] , purchased the complex in 2002, renovated the largest building and relocated from State College. The society then refurbished the adjacent structure, making space available for other commercial tenants and stated their intention to eventually rehabilitate the remaining buildings.

References