This firm began in 1852 as a hardware dealer, Lake & Brown, with partners Charles B. Brown and a Mr. Lake; in 1858, Mr. Lake was replaced in the partnership by E. L. Canfield, who was a real estate and loan broker, the name changing to C. B. Brown & Co.. Brown was from a well-to-do family and was himself very active in real estate, following a pattern of buying property, building on it, and then leasing it. In 1858, Brown established a separate foundry business with co-proprietor Oscar G. Lange (the business name is not known). In 1861, Brown bought out Mr. Lange and the firm became part of the existing business of C. B. Brown & Co.

In 1869, Canfield sold his interest in the business and was replaced by Theodore F. Brown. In 1871, a Mr. Van Arsdale, possibly grain dealer Garrett Van Arsdale, joined the firm, and the name changed to Brown & Van Arsdale Manufacturing Co. The Chicago fire of 1871 caused substantial damage to the company's building but they were one of only two buildings on their side of the street not to suffer a complete loss. C. B. Brown himself suffered enormous financial losses as the result of the fire.

Van Arsdale left the company in 1877, and the following year William H. Brown became co-owner. The company followed a path of aggressive growth in manufacturing wagon supplies, including wheelwrights' machinery, and by 1886 they had over 250 employees. Their works covered more than an acre. Their aggressive growth led to bankruptcy in 1873 and again in 1884. Both times, the business continued to operate. By 1884 it seems that the company was primarily made patent wagon skeins, which are an integrated axle cover and bearing made of formed and welded sheet metal.

Information Sources

• The 1872 and 1873 editions of Annual Report of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago list "Brown, Chas. B., Brown & VanArsdale Mfg. Company, Manufacturers in Iron, Kingsbury st." The only listing under Van Arsdale (or variant thereof) is for a Garrett Van Arsdale, grain dealer.
• 1873 Inter-State Exhibition Souvenir.

  Brown & Vanarsdale Manufacturing Co., 28 Kingsbury street, Chicago. Tinsmiths' and Machinists' Tools. A large assortment of this Company's productions were displayed, among the most prominent of which may be named the self-centering hub-reaming machine, lifting jack, seamless thimble skeins, tire benders, B. S. drills, Tuyere irons, tire shrinkers, etc. This Company are also the manufacturers of the celebrated "Silver Polish" sad irons, which were also exhibited. The display of this firm was highly creditable.

• The 1876-11-01 Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, under "Bills of Sale".

  Brown & VanArsdale Mfg Co to B F Crosby, leashold in lot and bldgs with contents cor Kingsbury and Michigan sts. July 11, 24 notes, one 2 years, and 23 payable monthly—$17,000

• The 1883 book, History of Chicago, Volume 2: From 1857 until the fire of 1871, by Alfred Theodore Andreas.

  The house last burned is authoritatively stated to have been that of John A. Huck, north of the city limits; while No. 863 North Clark Street, and two houses a short distance south, were untouched by the fire, as was Brown & VanArsdale's two-story frame building south of Michigan and east of Kingsbury...

• The 1883 book, History of Chicago, Volume 3: From the fire of 1871 until 1885, by Alfred Theodore Andreas.

  Charles B. Brown, president of the Brown & Van Arsdale Manufacturing Company, was born at Vandalia, Ill., in 1830. His father, William H. Brown, was an early and prominent settler of Chicago, being one of the projectors of the old Galena & Chicago Union Railway, and also identified as a banker and enterprising capitalist; mention of his life and service, has already been made in the first volume of this work. His mother, Harriet (Seward) Brown, a most estimable lady, belonged to a family that gave to this country a statesman whose name will long be remembered. In 1852, and soon after reaching his majority, Mr. Brown began his business career as a member of the firm of Lake & Brown, hardware and iron dealers at No. 103 Lake Street. In 1858, he bought the interest of Mr. Lake, and admitted to partnership E. L. Canfield, the firm being known thereafter as C. B. Brown & Co. In 1859, Mr. Brown became interested in a small foundry, in company with Oscar G. Lange, which was the nucleus of the present company's extensive business. These works were at the northwest corner of Michigan and Kingsbury streets. In 1861, Mr. Brown bought the interest of Mr. Lange, and the foundry was then operated by C. B. Brown & Co. In 1862, the manufacture of seamless thimble-skeins was added to their business. In 1869, Mr. Canfield retired and Theodore F. Brown was admitted to partnership, and is still a stockholder in the company. In 1871, the present company was organized, and was incorporated the same year as the Brown & Van Arsdale Manufacturing Company, with a capital stock of $80,000. Charles B. Brown was chosen president and treasurer of the company and Mr. Van Arsdale vice president and superintendent. Mr. Van Arsdale retired from the company in 1877, and J. G. Holt, who had been foreman for some years, became superintendent. In 1878, William H. Brown became a stockholder in the company and was made its secretary, which position he still holds. This company manufactures a great number of specialties, nearly all of which come under the head of wagon supplies. Their premises occupy nearly an acre of ground. The two-story building on the corner of Illinois and Kingsbury streets escaped destruction by the fire of 1871, and, with the exception of the Ogden mansion, was the only building on the North Side not destroyed. The loss to this company by the fire was about $100,000, only about $8,000 of their insurance being recovered. The morning following the fire, removal of the debris of the burning building was begun, and, as soon as practicable, the works were re-built and again in running order. The number of men employed by this company averages about two hundred and fifty, and the total annual product of their works amounts to about $350,000. In the great fire Mr. Brown also lost $250,000 worth of private property. Mr. Brown has, perhaps built as many buildings in Chicago as any other man in it, not including of course a professional builder or contractor. His motto was, when he bought a lot to build on it. At the time of the fire, he owned thirty-one buildings, most of which were business blocks erected by himself, and all of which were destroyed. Mr. Brown married, in 1852, Miss Mary J. Peck, daughter of James Peck, of this city. Their eldest son, William H., is now the secretary of the company of which his father is the president; Bessie, the elder daughter, is the wife of Charles V. Hoard, of this city; Gracie, the youngest child, resides with her parents.

• 1884-06-24 Chicago Tribune.

  BROWN & VAN ARSDALE.
  Business was dull and creditors were urgent.

  The Brown & Van Arsdale Manufacturing Company made an assignment yesterday to John Noyes. The company makes carriage and wagon irons, and the principal assets are its factory building at No. 28 Kingsbury street, the stock of manufactured goods, and some outstanding accounts. Soon after the assignments Mr. Noyes took charge of the business and set the members of the firm to make out a schedule.

  Mr. Noyes, who has been the attorney for the firm, said that they had some paper coming due yesterday that they could not meet, and that they had made an assignment to prevent one creditor from taking advantage of another. It was not known, he said, until yesterday morning that they would be compelled to take the step, as they had sent telegrams to a large creditor in the East asking more time, and they had expected up to the very last that the time would be granted, but they had finally received a telegram stating that the request could not be complied with. They then hurried into court and filed the necessary papers to protect their other creditors. Mr. Noyes said that it was not easy to give accurate figures as yet, but from what he was able to learn the debts of the firm would amount to about $110,000, while the assets were not less than $180,000, and they would perhaps amount to as much as $200,000. The company went into bankruptcy some years ago, and he thinks it has been crippled by efforts to pay the amount due under the compromise, which amounted to 50 cents on the dollar. Recently they lost about $10,000 in the Fish failure of Racine. He thought the firm would be able to effect a settlement and continue business.

  A reporter who called at the office of the firm was told that the failure was caused by recent dullness of trade. A member of the firm stated that business had been very dull with them for may months past. He could not tell how much the assets and liabilities were, and declined to give a list of the creditors, which he said he would file in court in a day or two.

• The Federal Reporter on the Circuit Court, N. D. Illinois for March 22, 1886, in the matter of Brown & Van Arsdale Manuf'g Co. v. Studebaker Bros Manuf'g Co.

  Letters patent No. 216,615, of June 17 1879, to N. L. Holmes, for an improvement in axle skeins for vehicles, must, in view of the prior state of the art, be limited strictly to its special device, which is the cutting of the blank in such shape as that, when formed up, it will make two frustrums of cones, the small end of the larger one springing from the large end of the smaller one, or the skein itself... The fifth and eighth claims of this patent cannot be sustained in view of the state of the art; and there was no infringement of the first and third claims in this case.

  Since the plaintiff alleged infringement of the first, third, fifth and eighth claims, the finding was for the defendant.
• 1886-7 edition of A. N. Marquis & Co.'s Handy Business Directory of Chicago.

  Brown & Van Arsdale Mnfg. Co., The, wagon skeins, 28 Kingsbury

• 1890 Railroad, Telegraph and Steamship Builders' Directory, under "Iron Founders".

  Brown & Van Arsdale Mfg. Co., 154 E. Lake st. (Room 17), Chicago, Ill.

• Carriage and Wagon Makers Machinery and Tools by Kenneth L. Cope, 2004 page 34.