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Arms Manufacturing Company

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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This building housed the Arms Manufacturing Company in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. It replaced an earlier building that burned in 1889. The Arms family owned two factories (the other was located in Malden, Massachusetts) and were one of the largest producers of wallets, pocketbooks, and calling card cases. Leather wallet and pocketbooks were designed for and intended for use by men. Both men and women carried calling card cases that held the small cards people often presented when they went to pay visits, or "call" on someone. Dennis Arms began the business in 1845. Finished goods traveled by ox-cart and by boat from his workshop to Hartford, and from there to Boston and New York City. The business continued to expand under several generations of Arms owners until the factory closed in the early 20th century.

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