Goldie & McCulloch was one of the first Canadian makers of woodworking machinery. They made industrial-sized machines, including molders, planer-matchers, ripsaws, shingle machines, barrel machines, and sawmills. They primarily supplied the Canadian market, which was, at that time, protected by tariffs from U.S. imports. However, Goldie & McCulloch had a strong export business to Mexico and South America, and some of their woodworking machines show up there.

Dating back to 1844, this company was originally known as the Dumfries Foundry (after Dumfries Township where it was located), and then the Crombie Foundry. The Dumfries foundry was established by James Andrews and James Crombie. Crombie took over sole ownership in 1850. In 1859 the operations were purchased from James Crombie by John Goldie and Hugh McCulloch, doing business as Goldie & McCulloch. The manufacture of woodworking and sawmill machinery did not began until some time after Goldie and McCulloch took over.

In 1891 the company incorporated as the Goldie & McCulloch Co., Ltd., and by 1902 there were about 450 employees manufacturing their various products.

The Goldie & McCulloch factory, 1902

In 1910 Goldie & McCulloch sold their woodworking machinery operations to MacGregor, Gourlay, Ltd., which merged these and other operations to create Canada Machinery Corp. (CMC). Meanwhile, Goldie & McCulloch continued their remaining operations, specializing in boilers, steam engines, pumps, safes, and vaults.

In 1923 the company was bought by the Babcock, Wilcox & Co. and became Babcock-Wilcox & Goldie-McCulloch Ltd., and subsequently Babcock & Wilcox. In 2000 B&W went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy because of asbestos-related claims.

Do you have more information?

I am especially interested in woodworking machinery manufacturers from Ontario, and particularly Cambridge, so if you have any information on relevant woodworking machinery companies and products, I strongly urge you to contact Jeff Joslin.

Information Sources

• 1851: The Canada Directory, by Robert W. S. Mackay, lists "Crombie, James, & Co., millwrights, founders and manufacturing engineers, W. Main st."
• 1869: Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory, by Henry McEvoy, 1869: Listing for Goldie, McCulloch & CO.: "proprs. Dumfries Foundry". The entry for the foundry merely states the converse.
• 1871: Lovell's Canadian Dominion Directory lists Goldie, McCulloch & Co. as a foundry, a machinists', and a manufacturer of "wool machinery, engines, mill machinery, water wheels", plus "saw mill and wood working machines". Their location was West Main st.
• 1882: Sessional Papers of the Fourth Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Dominion of Canada, in a table for Galt, "Comparison of hands employed and wages paid, showing the difference between January, 1879, and date of visit in 1881." Goldie & McCulloch is listed as a foundry with 165 hands in 1879 and 225 hands in 1881, with wages increasing 10 per cent over that time.
• 1883 Farley's Directory of the Metal Workers of the United States, Canada and the British Provinces, page 186, lists Galt metalworking firms including Goldie & McCulloch, Iron Founders.
• 1884: Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1884-1885 lists Goldie & McCulloch as one of three Galt makers of woodworking machinery, the others being Cant, Laidlaw & Co. and Cowan & Co.. The other Ontario woodworking machinery makers listed were A. R. Williams and Major Harper.
• 1886: Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1886-1887 lists "Goldie & McCulloch Co. (Ltd), Hugh McCulloch Senior President, John Goldie Manager, Hugh McCulloch, Jr, Secretary-Treasurer, Safes and Machinery, w Main."
• 1892: Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1892-1893 lists "Goldie & McCulloch (John Goldie, Hugh McCulloch), Founders, Machinists, and Safe Mnfrs. w Main."
• 1895: Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1895 lists "Goldie & McCulloch Co. (Ltd)" as a maker of woodworking machinery.
• 1895: Canadian Mining Manual: "Goldie and McCulloch Co., Ltd., Galt, Ont.—Incorporated 1st May, 1891. Organized first in 1859. Paid-up capital $700,000, in shares of $400. Directors: Hugh McCulloch, John, C.... Hugh McCulloch, Jr., John Goldie."
• 1916: Canadian industry, commerce, and finance; published as a companion volume to The Journal of Commerce, 1916, by J. J. Harpell: Lists Goldie & McCulloch Co., Ltd., Galt, Ont., as a producer of flour and oatmeal mill machinery; locomotive boilers; marine boilers; return tubular boilers; stationary boilers; water tube boilers; coupling clutches; friction clutches; condensers; stationary steam engines; machine cut and dressed gearing; grain and feed grinders; feed water heaters; flour and oatmeal mill machinery; iron pulleys; wood and wood split pulleys; boiler feed pumps; safes; smoke stacks; vaults and vault doors; flywheels and gear wheels.
• 1902: Some information came from Picturesque and Industrial Galt, published 1902 by The Galt Reporter. Thanks to Andrew Poynter for providing this booklet.
• 1907 advertisements in Canada Lumberman and Woodworker read as follows:

  Wood Working Machinery
  We make a complete line of High Grade Wood Working Machinery for all lumber and wood working industries
  Ask for Catalogue No. 9, which illustrates and describes all machines.
  See complete list of our manufactures below.
  The Goldie & McCulloch Co., Limited
  Galt — Ontario — Canada
  Western Branch: 248 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg
  Quebec Agents: Ross & Greig, Montreal.
  B. C. Selling Agts. for Wood Tools: The Wm. Hamilton Mfg. Co., Vancouver.
  We make Wheelock Engines, Corliss Engines, Ideal High Speed Engines, Boilers, Heaters, Pumps, Flour Mill Machinery, Oatmeal Mill Machinery, Gyrators, Emery Choppers, Wood Working Machinery, Shingle Machinery, Heading and Stave Machinery, Wood Rim Split Pulleys, Iron Pulleys, Shafting, Hangers, Friction Clutch Couplings, Friction Clutch Pulleys, Safes, Vaults, and Vault Doors.

• 1913-02-03 Canadian Machinery, pages 52-53.

  The Goldie & McCulloch Co., Ltd.

  Goldie & McCulloch Co., Galt, Ont., report a good year's business for 1912. During the summer they made a large addition to their boiler shop which is situated in the north quarter of the city, about a mile from the main works. The original shop covered an area of 320 by 120 feet, and the new addition measures 160 by 120 feet, or an increase of 50 per cent. The company have now one of the finest and best equipped boiler shops in Canada, and one which should meet all requirements for some time to come.

  The building has a steel frame and brick walls, and consists of a centre 60-ft. bay and two side bays of 30 feet. Large window areas are provided and the monitor over the centre bay has a skylight extending its full length. The floor is of wood blocks laid on edge, and the roof is of 2-inch matched boarding covered with an appropriate roofing material. The centre bay was originally served by a 25-ton electric traveler by the Morgan Engineering Co., Alliance, Ohio, and when the shop was enlarged, a 5-ton traveler of the same make was added. The stationary hydraulic riveter exerts a pressure of 150 tons, has a gap of 10 ft. 6 in., and is served by a 15-ton tower crane. Further hydraulic equipment includes a 750-ton flanging press. This is served by a 10 ft. x 12 ft. Rockwell oil fired flanging furnace. Among other equipment installed this year is a very fine 4-spindle flue sheet drill.

  A feature of the shop is the excellent artificial lighting. This is by means of flaming arc lights, so placed as to practically eliminate all shadow. We have seldom seen a better lighted boiler shop. An exterior view of the building appears on the previous page.

• One of the old Goldie-McCulloch buildings was for several years part of the former Southworks Outlet Mall, which during the 2010s was developed into condominium apartments. Some old equipment, including cranes and line shafts, were still in place during the outlet-mall era and could be seen while walking through the mall. More historical information on Goldie-McCulloch is available on an archived version of the old Southworks web site.