This company is known from patent records and from a couple of reports of shingle mills. They also made large reciprocating gang sawmills.

In 1881, this firm began production of the Estes Automatic Cut-Off Steam Engine and in 1907, the Boss power hammer.

Information Sources

• A post on the smokstak.com site alerted us to this maker. The shingle mills there are Evarts patent mills.
• A post on Garage Journal has pictures of a trip hammer from this maker.
• The History of Dubuque County, Iowa, 1880, mentions that the Novelty Iron Works was established in 1875. People associated with the Novelty Iron Works: George O. Cowles was secretary and treasurer; D. W. Tyler was machine shop foreman (and had been there nine years, which implies that Novelty Iron Works replaced a previous business).

  Novelty Iron Works.—These works occupy the inclosure bounded by Tenth and Eleventh streets, east of Washington street, and comprise machine-shop, boiler-shop, and other buildings of brick and frame. The company succeeded to the firm of J. L. Dickinson & Co., and was organized and commenced business January 1, 1876, with a capital of $60,000, and the following officers, all of whom have served in the same capacity to the present time: C. S. Burt, President; George O. Cowles, Secretary and Treasurer, and J. L. Dickinson, Superintendent. A force of fifty men is usually employed, and the work done is of a very comprehensive character, including machinery for flour-mills, saw-mills, steam engines, water-wheels, well-drilling machines, horse powers, they having one of the largest and best-arranged establishments in the West, with a high reputation of the quality of work turned out. The shipments of machinery, etc., extend into all the surrounding States, as also into Dakota, Nebraska, Montana and California.

  The monthly pay-roll amounts to $1,800, and the sales of stock are upward of $100,000 per year.

  The works have demonstrated that home manufacturers can thrive here, and both directly and indirectly have added to the prosperity of the city.

• A webpage for a Dubuque art gallery has this snippet: "Next on the agenda for Sustainable Neighborhood Building is the redevelopment of a block of buildings located in the former millwork district in downtown Dubuque. Originally known as Novelty Iron Works; then Carr, Adams, & Collier; then Caradco and most recently Eagle Window & Door (www.eaglewindow.com), we plan to transform this former industrial factory into a multi-use facility (www.warehousetrust.com) that provides an eco-friendly living environment within an existing urban area." This quote does not make clear whether the other businesses succeeded Novelty Iron Works, or merely took over the premises.
• American Steam Engine Builders: 1800-1900 by Kenneth L. Cope, 2006 page 173
• Carriage and Wagon Makers Machinery and Tools by Kenneth L. Cope, 2004 page 143