Tools & Materials
Cut nails, a family business
Gary Franklin is a fifth-generation nailer at the Tremont nail factory in Mansfield, Mass. His great-great-grandfather started working there shortly before the Civil War, and he carries on the tradition to this day.
Originally located in Wareham, Massachusetts, Tremont Nail Company has been making cut nails since 1819. Gary Franklin’s great-great-grandfather started working at Tremont as a nailer in the 1850’s, and since then five generations of Franklins have worked as nailers at Tremont. It’s all part of a heritage that Tremont is very proud of.
Today, Tremont is now a part of Acorn manufacturing, and located in Mansfield, Massachusetts a mere 35 miles away from Wareham, but little else has changed. The same skilled craftsmen, the same machines, and the same goal, to create a product that will last for generations.
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Comments
Very cool. Nice job.
Excellent story. Great job, Ben.
Nice job on this.
Love the story
always nice to see traditions carried through from generation to generation, awesome story!
In a day when so much of our manufacturing has gone oversees, it's great to see an American legacy being carried on. This is one of those stories that makes you feel great inside from your head to you toes. Thanks for sharing a great American story
I visited their plant in Wareham. Such a wonderful story. Thank you for posting. Nice to know of a company that is keeping an old tradition alive.
A great story about a sliver of our heritage that mostly has been overlooked. Makes me want to build something to use cut nails.
My father was a carpenter when he was a young man circa 1939 and he had a few cut nails in his collection of old tools that he passed along to me. He talked about how his boss made the crew clean up the job every day's end and they would straighten the bent nails, sharpen their framing axes and chisels to be ready to work in the morning. I also inherited his collection of about ten well preserved handsaws that he taught me to sharpen and set when I was about twelve years old.
You guys are lucky to have found Ben. He actually has an advanced sense of humor (no offense), understands timing, delivery, and construction. Here we see his impact on an interview that helps make it both informative and touching. Very nicely done.
Here's my story about Tremont Nail Company....... When we were restoring our 18th century home, 35 years ago, I only used Tremont nails for the work and remember when I found out that they didn't take credit cards at the time....only mail orders accompanied by a check! We didn't know that and I asked my wife to place an emergency order over the phone so I would have nails to finish a project that I had begun. I still remember when my wife placed that order with them, and the customer service person on the phone at Tremont explained their policy of no credit cards, at that time, but instead of not taking our modest phone order, she instead mailed the order to us and sent it with an invoice. Tremont is one of only two vendors that ever did business with me that way, and we were not an account.
I'm so happy that they apparently continue to thrive, and although I have a good stock of a wide range of nails at the moment.....which I use for my woodworking and furniture work, Tremont will continue to be my supplier. A great memory of a great company. Thanks for the terrific story, Ben.
Michael in NJ
Beautifully Simple m
Machines producing a beautifuly simple item.
A great family history (love the simplicity)..
...it is so pure.
Thanks Ben. I think I need some nails.
Excellent video Ben. Well shot and edited. Great story.
I enjoyed the story but a had a very difficult time hearing the speaker due to the music. Why is the music necessary?
"Nailed" that one out of the park, or "pahk" if you're from Boston.
Very well done
Ben, words can't express my gratitude for the amazing job you did on this video. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share the history of my family with Tremont with your subscribers.
It was an honor Gary! Thanks for letting us tell the story!
Ben, you hit this one squarely on the head. Nice job and great story. Don't see many 5 generation businesses any longer, particularly in manufacturing. Great to see the Tremont Nail Company story!
There are no superlatives good enough for this story. My Massachusetts ancestors were mostly involved in the making of lace and shoes. These went on for many generations. My particular line left Massachusetts and I'm a pure westerner.
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