Founded in 1854 as the Olean Machine Shop & Foundry by Smith & McClure. It failed in 1857 and was subsequently sold first to C. V. B. Barse and the to W. W. Eastman & F. H. Myrick. In 1864, Eastman's interest was bought by Myrick's brother, W. P. Myrick and reorganized as Myrick Brothers. In 1871 the brothers took John Williams as a partner and renamed the company, Myrick Brothers & Co. The firm was again reorganized in 1888 by C. W. Green & Alfred Tothill and changed its name to Myrick Foundry & Machine Co. About 1903, the firm began manufacturing gas engines under the name of Myrick Machine Co. In 1920 the company was acquired by another Olean engine maker, Luther Manufacturing Co. In its new form, the business survived until about 1970.

Information Sources

• The 1898 book, The Derrick's Hand-book of Petroleum has a chronology for 1886, including

  Fire at Myrick's machine shop, Olean; loss, $4,000.

• The 1899 issue of Pettingill's National Newspaper Directory and Gazetteer mentions Myrick Machine Co. as a foundry in Olean.
• The August 1904 Modern Machinery had the following item:

  The Myrick Machine Company of Olean, N. Y., has enlarged its machine shop and doubled the capacity of the foundry. A new cupola and rattler have also been erected and an electric light plant installed.

• The 1907-08-15 issue of Iron Trade Review had the following press release:

  The Myrick Machine Co., Olean, N. Y., has been incorporated, with a capital stock of $50,000, to manufacture engines and boilers and conduct a foundry business. The incorporators are: Alfred and Edward M. Tothill and Peter J. Messer, all of Olean, N. Y.

• The 1907-09-28 Domestic Engineering had this item:

  The plant and business of the Myrick Machine Company, of Olean, N. Y., has been taken over by a new corporation of the same name, incorporated with a capital stock of $50,000. The company will manufacture engines, vacuum pumps, air compressors and special machinery. Alfred Tothill is president; Peter J. Messer,-vice president; Edward W. Tothill, secretary and treasurer.

• A Smokstak.com discussion provided information on this firm, especially their later years as recounted by contributor Brian Lynch.
• Bores & Strokes,The Myrick Machine Co.,Vol. 19 #1, by Paul Gray