Bonney Forge Corporation

Bonney Forge
IndustryManufacturing
Founded1876 [1] as Bonney Vise & Tool Works; name changed to Bonney Forge & Tool Works in 1921.
HeadquartersPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania[1] and Allentown, Pennsylvania (former); Mount Union, Pennsylvania (current)
Key people
Charles S. Bonney (founder); John A. Leone (current CEO)
ProductsHand tools (formerly); fittings and valve markets (currently)
Websitewww.bonneyforge.com

Bonney Forge was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876[1] by Charles S. Bonney. Originally Bonney Forge crafted forged and finished hardware for horse-drawn wagons, later it became a manufacturer of automotive hand tools, and now it is a manufacturer of fittings and unions, branch connections, steel valves and specialty products.[2]

In 1953, Bonney Forge was taken over by the Miller Manufacturing Company of Detroit, Michigan.[3] In 1964, the firm sold its tool division to Kelsey-Hayes Corp. of Romulus, Michigan.[4] The firm was later acquired by Gulf and Western Industries. Gulf and Western sold the firm to its president John Leone in 1984.

The company was for many years based in Allentown, Pennsylvania,[1] where it had some of its manufacturing operations.[1] Bonney Forge also had manufacturing operations in Alliance, Ohio,[4] Orangeburg, South Carolina[4][5] and near Milan, Italy.[1][6]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Shope, Dan (Aug 30, 2001), Bonney Forge closes plant; Allentown building can't handle a new press; 20 jobs are lost., Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Morning Call, p. A. 18
  2. ^ "Bonney Forge®". Bonneyforge.com. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  3. ^ "BONNEY DEAL ARRANGED; Negotiations for Stock Transfer to Miller Co. Completed.", The New York Times, New York, New York, Mar 24, 1953
  4. ^ a b c 200 Jobs lost at Alliance, Youngstown, Ohio: Youngstown Vindicator, Mar 24, 1964
  5. ^ Bonney's 1967 Tool Catalog on the Internet Archive
  6. ^ IN THE REGION, Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Morning Call, May 3, 1985, p. B. 10