Founded as a iron foundry in 1823, by Thaddeus Fairbanks. He was joined by his brother, Erastus Fairbanks and the firm was organized as the E. & T. Fairbanks Co..

      By 1830, the growth of Hemp farming in the area led the Fairbanks to manufacture a simple and accurate weighing scale, so that farmers could weight their produce. This was known as the Fairbank's Platform Scale.

      In the 1830's, another brother, Joseph Fairbanks, joined the firm and took over marketing duties.

      By 1860, the firm was very successful and had over 1,000 employees. They made scales from a small counter size to a giant weigh-lock scale used on the Erie Canal.

      This company is very well known as a maker of weigh scales, which are outside the scope of this website. However, we have seen a version of the Howard patent sliding table saw bearing this maker's name. Our best guess is that L. D. Howard ceased manufacturing sometime after 1889 and the sliding tablesaw production was picked up by Hooker Manufacturing Co. and then E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., or vice versa.

      In 1902, E. & T. Fairbanks & Co. acquired another St. Johnsbury manufacturer, Dupont Manufacturing Co., makers of power hammers. Fairbanks continued to manufacture "Dupont" power hammers under the E. & T. Fairbanks name until 1917 when they sold that business to United Hammer Co.; that company was acquired by Barbour-Stockwell Co. in 1924.

Information Sources

• We learned of this maker from a Craigslist posting forwarded to us by Tim Kuist and Robert Bernstein.
• January 1917 The Blacksmith & Wheelwright: "An announcement has just been made to the trade to the effect that the power hammer business of E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., of St. Johnsbury, Vt., has been purchased by the United Hammer Co., 141 Milk Street, Boston. This company is prepared to furnish Fairbanks power hammers of all sizes for prompt shipment. They can also furnish parts and repair sections for Fairbanks hammers already in use. These hammers have been manufactured since 1890, first by the Dupont Mfg. Co. of St. Johnsbury, Vt., who marketed them under the name 01' “Dupont” hammers. In 1902 the business was taken over by E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., St. Johnsbury, who have been manufacturing them since, they giving them the name “Fairbanks” hammers, which title will be continued under the new management. During the time those hammers were made by E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., they were marketed in New York through the retail stores of the Fairbanks Compan, aso through stores of Fairbanks, Morse & Co. of Chicago, a western branch, and by the Canadian Fairbanks Company in Montreal and Canada branches. They were also handled by the London, Glasgow, Paris and Hamburg branches of Fairbanks Co. These hammers are sold and favorably known throughout the world, some 1,400 installations having already been made."
• Fairbanks hammer parts and service.
• Fairbanks Morse, 100 Years of Engine Technology by C. H. Wendel, ©2009