O'Brien+Electric+Priming+Company

= = = = //For more photos and information// //on the O'Brien Varnish Company,// //visit Thomas Kepshire, et al.'s// //webpage on the plant by visiting this [|link].// = = = = = =

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 =Contents=

Periods of Significance

 * 1837-1874 | 1875-1913 | 1914-1995 | 1996-Present Day**



1837-1874

 * In Thuries Ireland, Patrick O'Brien was born. His family ++++++++++++++++++++++**

In 1861, Patrick O'Brien had served in the Union Army for 2 years. He left his job with the Studebaker company and returned following his service (South Bend Tribune, August 12, 1913). Back to Top



1875-1913
Founded by Patrick O'Brien in **1875** (or **1878**, depending the source), the O'Brien Electric Priming Company was a small shop originally located at the corner of what is now [|Lincolnway West and LaSalle Avenue in South Bend]:

> //Patrick O'Brien was an employee of the Studebaker Brothers Company, where he supervised he paint shops. Patrick and J.M Studebaker were close friends. In **1875**, Patrick decided to start his own business. He called his new company "The O'Brien Electric Priming Company." It was located in a small shop on what is now Lincoln Way West. The word "electric" did not mean electricity, but "quick".//

> //In **1878**, the company was formally incorporated. Patrick O'Brien owned 202 shares, and the three Studebaker brothers [Peter, Jacob, and John M.] owned 66 shares a piece.//

> //Varnishes and paints were made and shipped to all parts of the United states.(Reznik, et al., 56)//

Patrick O'Brien had worked at the Studebaker Wagon Company, during which time "he developed a revolutionary new quick-drying primer for the carriages and wagons of that era," (Kepshire, et al., "O'Brien Varnish Company").

In his book __A History of St. Joseph County, Indiana__, published in 1907, Timothy Edward Howard provided a vivid description of this company:

> //The O'Brien Varnish Works has a history similar to many others in South Bend. It is the creation of a man of energy and force of character, combined with good business capacity. The company was organized on May 31, **1978**, with a capital of twenty thousand dollars, and is now owned and managed entirely by Mr. Patrick O'Brien and his very capable sons. The officers are: Patrick O'Brien, president; George L. O'Brien, vice-president; William D. O'Brien, secretary; and Frederick O'Brien, treasurer. The plant has increased to very large proportions, producing not only varnish, as originally contemplated, but also all oils and materials going to the manufacture of paints. The company was won a very high place among the manufacturers of the city. (Howard, 402; 407)//

The original factory was destroyed by a fire. Following this, Patrick O'Brien selected the site at [|2001 W. Washington St., South Bend, IN] to rebuild the O'Brien Varnish Company:

> //Between **1882-85**, several buildings were constructed on South Bend's west side and in **1893**, the corporate name was changed to the O'Brien Varnish Company, which remained until 1948 when the company assumed the name of Fuller-O'Brien. Uniroyal Adhesives and Sealants bought out part of the Fuller-O'Brien company and still operates on West Washington Avenue in South Bend. (Kepshire, et al., "O'Brien Varnish Company")//

The first town trustees of South Bend were elected in 1845 (Howard, 358). T.E. Howard lists the town trustees from this first election through 1904 (356-366). Howard notes that there no elections during some years, and other years the trustees were appointed rather than elected (358). Significantly, Patrick O'Brien served on the town trustee board as follows:
 * **1882 (one of the Water Works Trustees)**
 * **1883 (one of the Water Works Trustees)**
 * **1884 (one of the Water Works Trustees)**
 * **1887 (one of the First Ward Councilmen)**
 * **1888 (one of the First Ward Councilmen)**

According to T. E. Howard, Patrick O'Brien, along with Clement Studebaker, John B. Stoll, Joseph D. Oliver, and Elmer Crockett (some of the most noteworthy businessmen at the time) acted as an advisory board for the **1896-1898** construction of South Bend's third (and present) court house**2**. Of the court house, Howard goes on to say:

> //The people of the county have good reason to be satisfied with the work done under direction of these officials and public spirited citizens....Our court house is also said to be, in its interior, one of the most beautiful and convenient in the state. (215-216)//

In **1890**, O'Brien Varnish Works built a linseed oil mill "with the capacity of 225,000 bushels of flax seed annually, and thousands of barrels of oil and large quantities of oil cake (Howard, 554). These products were shipped year-round throughout the United States, Canada, and even Europe (//id.//).

In their article describing the operations of various South Bend industries during World War II, Chuck and Nancy Tubbs noted that:

> //While Bendix and Studebaker flourished under wartime priorities, other South Bend industries struggled to keep going....The O’Brian (sic) Varnish Co. operated only on a limited basis during the war because of tung oil and soybean oil shortages after imports were cut off. O’Brien produced truck and tank enamel (in olive drab, of course) and some special camouflage paints and lacquers for bombs and shells. (Tubbs, "Business in Wartime").//

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1914-1995
Following are transcriptions and summaries from various newspaper articles from the South Bend Tribune and New York Times that related to the O'Brien Varnish Company and the O'Brien family. The articles were retrieved from the verticle files of the Local History and Genealogy Department of the St. Joseph County Public Library.


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //August 11, 1913//**

This article is an announcement of the death of Patrick O'Brien which had occurred on the previous day, August 10, 1913:

> //More recently, he was one of he trustees in the management of the northern Indiana state prison at Michigan City where he served efficiently as a chairman of the committee...When his health began to fail, he resigned.//

> //Three years ago while still a member of the board he made a trip to Europe accompanied by Mrs. O'Brien....During this trip Mr. O'Brien made a comprehensive and exhaustive study of conditions in famous European prisons which proved of great use in the work of conducting the Indiana prison.//

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

> //Mr. O'Brien was deeply interested in municipal reform. For years he had seen the trend of the city and had been one of those earnest, sincere men who believed the trend was in the wrong direction. He felt that the opportunity exited to make South Bend a better city morally and in every way and he talked about the matter with friends a great deal, feeling that the best elements of the city ought to do all in their power toward eliminating existing evils and in working for civic uplift.//

This article notes that in 1861, Patrick O'Brien had served in the Union Army for 2 years. He left his job with the Studebaker company and returned following his service.
 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //August 12, 1913//**

> //In the death of Patrick O'Brien South Bend loses another of those sturdy citizens whose energy and character have had so much to do with the laying of the solid, substantial foundations upon which the city is built and the magnificent proportions in which it has reached.//


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //June 7, 1917//**

> //A South Bend manufacturer who shops a substantial order to the interior of China and on the same day starts another bill of goods to the Yukon in Alaska, while the shipping department in busy routing a third order to Barcelona Spain certainly has a product that can justly be termed world-famed. This was a recent experience of the O'Brien Varnish Company and is by no means an uncommon occurrence.//

This article also noted that specially in demand was the Liquid Velvet Wall Finish, first put on the market in 1913 after a long period of experimenting:

> //It has an oil base material, and is said to be the pioneer of this type of wall covering. It has many distinct advantages, chief among which may be mentioned its absolutely washable quality and its enormous covering capacity. Liquid Velvet dries to an enamel hardness and without sheen or lustre, providing a surface that is impervious to water and which can be washed time and time again without the slightest danger of harming the finish.//



> //The list of public buildings, educational institutions, hotels, hospitals, churches and handsome private residences, in which the O'Brien products have been specified by the architects, covers many of the most important throughout the entire United States.//


 * //New York Times//**
 * //February 23, 1919//**

By 1919, O'Brien Varnish company had developed the first washable finish for interior walls, Liquid Velvet.

This article makes note of the fact that O'Brien's business slogan was “Varnish makers for half a century” and that the company was a //“...manufacturer of a complete line of architectural finishes, automobile finishes and goods for the manufacturing trade in general.”//

The article also rehashes some background history on Patrick O'Brien, noting that when he first came to South Bend, he very soon began working with the Studebaker brothers, who were at that time making the best carriages in the United States. Mr. O'Brien worked in the finishing department, applying paint to the wagons before being shipped for sale or for the sales department showroom:

> //It was when he was engaged in finishing the bodies of these carriages that his fertile mind began to conceive methods whereby this work could be made easier and a better appearance given to the finishes. He studied upon this problem assiduously, finally hitting upon the scheme of applying varnish to the carriage while still hot.//

Patrick O'Brien patented this process, and word of it spread quickly--demand surged, resulting in Mr. O'Brien founding the O'Brien Electric Varnish Company.

The article also mentions that after the death of Patrick O'Brien, his two sons, George L. and William D. O'Brien, who had worked with their father before his passing, took over the business.

> //Of all the raw materials that pour into South Bend from remote corners of the earth none is more interesting than the natural tung oil which is maintaining a nation-wide reputation for one of the city's oldest industries, the O'Brien Varnish Company.//
 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //September 13, 1936//**

Tung oil is also sometimes called “China wood oil” since it has been used for perhaps thousands of years in China to seal decorative and marine wood and porous masonry, is made from the pressed seed from the nut of the tung tree, which flourishes even still in the Yangtze Valley of south central China. When applied it provides a tough, highly water-resistant finish which does not darken noticeably with age as does linseed oil.

Tung oil was first imported into America in approximately 1896. While the tung oil was water-resistant and fast-drying, in its natural state it did not blend easily. In approximately 1928, a process called “taming” that was developed by scientists changed the molecular structure of the tung oil so that blending was no longer a problem. This development proved very advantageous to the O'Brien Varnish Company.

One of the most significant products developed by the O'Brien Varnish Company is “Liquid Velvet”, a flat wall finish first marketed in 1912.

In 1936, 60% of the company's business was related to architectural painting and about 40% was related to industry (finishes for automobiles, toys, furniture, and numerous other manufactured goods)

In 1936, O'Brien Varnish Company actively sought to make South Bend the “best painted” city in the country, and by September, the company estimated that one out of every five homes in South Bend would have received a fresh coat of paint by the end of the year.

Reading this today, I would guess that this advertising stint on the part of O'Brien, which presumably resulted in approximately 4,000 homes in South Bend receiving a free house painting, made for great public relations.


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //December 8, 1936//**

This article makes note of the fact that the O'Brien Varnish Company reincorporated under the Administrative Code of 1929, which would potentially allow the company to engage in a wider range of activities than were possible under the 1869 statute the company incorporated under originally.


 * //New York Times//**
 * //July 27, 1937//**

In this article, describes the fact that this day marked O'Brien's first delivery of a carload of oil from the Mississippi tung tree plant.

As a result of the planting of a 10,000 acre tung tree farm in Picayune, Mississippi (owned by Lamont Rowlands), it was no longer necessary for the O'Brien Varnish Company to import tung oil from China. The article notes that it was not until 1906 that any successful plantings of the tung tree were made, and during the years 1933-1937, much progress had been made along this line.

Of this development, //“[o]fficials of the O'Brien Varnish Company...said that because of a patented process, the substance used in the making of paints, varnishes and enamels will be of a much higher oil content than previously known methods.”//


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //November 11, 1945//**

On this day, the South Bend tribune reported that during the second world war, O'Brien Varnish Company manufactured tens of thousands of gallons of olive drab and yellow lacquers for use by the United States army. O'Brien products were also used in the finishing of shells at the ordnance plant in Kingsbury, Indiana, among other plants. During the war, O'Brien paints played an important role in preserving civilian property. Sixty O'Brien employees served in WWII, and 100% of its civilian employees participated in buying war bonds.

As an industry forerunner, the O'Brien Varnish Company offered synthetic resins in their products to replace East Indian gums and titanium pigments, which not only provided more stable paints, but also whiter paints:

> //At the beginning of world war No. 2 O'Brien was making paints, enamels, stains, varnishes, lacquers, and synthetic products to cover almost every conceivable surface. Nearly 400 standard products and colors were carried in stock normally.//

The article goes on to report that during a month's time, including special finishes for manufactured items, O'Brien often produced as many as 1,500 different products and colors.


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //December 31, 1953//**

The New Year's Eve edition of the South Bend Tribune made note of the fact that O'Brien Varnish Company had just introduced Liquid Velvet Alki-Therm, a new flat enamel carrying the very successful Liquid Velvet name. This new paint was described by the company's general sales representative, R.P. Cook, as “the best product we have made in over 30 years.”


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //September 30, 1954//**

The Tribune highlighted the fact that on Wednesday, September 29, 1954, a gas-filled cylinder on top of the O'Brien plant had exploded, //“sending three people to the hospital, shattering windows throughout the neighborhood and [sending]...the steel cover [about 10 feet in diameter] of one end of the tank...more than a block through the air.”// One neighborhood man was reported to have thought that the explosion was “either dynamite of a 'bomb dropped' by the Russians.” The plant reopened the following day.


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //May 23, 1995//**

On this day in May, 1995, the South Bend Tribune announced that O'Brien Corporation would be selling major portions of its company to Glidden Co. of Cleveland, a unit of Imperial Chemical Industries in London. At the time of this announcement, O'Brien's paint sales were among the top 20 of the approximately 750 paint companies in the United States, according to the company's president, Jerome Crowley, Jr.


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //July 25, 1995//**

As many South Bend residents would be able to tell you, and as the South Bend Tribune reported on this date, atop the O'Brien Varnish Company's building since the time it was built in 1875 was what was once a colorful chimney tower displaying some of the colors the plant produced. By 1995, the chimney was corroded and potentially harmful. In July, 1995, this “west-side landmark” was in the process of being removed.

The Tribune further reported that:

> //In June [1995], O'Brien Corp. had completed the sale of a major portion of its Fuller-O'Brien paint business to Glidden Co. of Cleveland...[which included] the Fuller O'Brien house-paint business plus a paint manufacturing plant and warehouse in South San Francisco, Calif.//

> //The South Bend plant was not sold in this deal, but the company's President, Jerome Crowley, Jr. (grandson of Patrick O'Brien) was looking for a buyer that would hopefully be a paint manufacturer looking for “a Midwestern plant with an experienced work force.//


 * //South Bend Tribune//**
 * //November 27, 1995//**

As noted by the South Bend Tribune, by the end of October, 1995, the South Bend O'Brien plant had closed. This South Bend Tribune article delved into the issue of the plant's environmental legacy after having operated for 120 uninterrupted years, 105 of which were virtually unregulated by environmental rules.

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**1996-Present Day**
//**November 10, 2001**// While at this point, I have not tracked down the date of occurrence, at some point subsequent to the closing of the O'Brien Varnish Company, a company by the name of Specialty Adhesives (a unit of Uniroyal Technology Corporation) purchased the O'Brien facility at 2001 W. Washington Street in South Bend.

On November 10, 2001, it was reported Specialty Adhesives had been purchased by Quest Specialty Chemicals Inc. The name of the operation was then changed to Royal Adhesives & Sealants. Royal Adhesives & Sealants would continue to operate from its facilities in South Bend where approximately 90 people are employed. (Dodson).

In the October 2005 edition of the online magazine, __Adhesive and Sealants Industry__, made reference to Royal Adhesives & Sealants, with its home office still located at the site of the former O'Brien Varnish Company. Royal Adhesives & Sealants' CEP was listed as Mr. Ted Clark, and its company contact was Steve Zens (VP Sales & Marketing). Of this company, __Adhesive and Sealants Industry__ reported that:
 * October 2005**

> //Royal Adhesives & Sealants is a supplier/manufacturer of solvent- and waterborne adhesives and sealants, along with one-part polyurethane adhesive sealants, under the Silaprene® brand name, and Hydra-Fast-En® waterborne contact cements, and Gunther™ mirror mastics. Under the Hardman brand, the company offers a complete line of 1- and 2-part epoxy and urethane adhesives used in the structual, filter, potting, and encapsulation markets.//

For more information on Royal Adhesives & Sealants, including its self-described history, visit the company's own website ([|http://www.royaladhesives.com/history.asp).]

On this date, the South Bend Tribune reported that Royal Adhesives & Sealants had purchased a small Wilmington, CA company, J&R Industries Inc., which specialized in making “sealants and compounds for the aerospace, defense and marine industries, along with epoxy coatings used in industrial maintenance,” (Ronco). This development would meant that Royal Adhesives would be able to compete in markets it had not explored before. This article noted that Royal Adhesives had previously acquired two other companies: ESC Adhesives (December 2004) and Hardman Adhesives (June 2005). J&R Industries would be operate under the Royal Adhesives and Sealants name, but its employees be able to keep their jobs and continue to work in Wilmington, CA.
 * December 14, 2005**

According the Royal Adhesive's company website:
 * April 2006**

> //In April, 2006, Royal acquired the assets of Basic Adhesives Inc.’s Industrial water-based adhesives product line. This new addition to the Hydra FAST-EN brand consists of urethane, [|acrylic latex], natural rubber, SBR/Casein and Neoprene water-based adhesives that are primarily sold to the flexible packaging and paper converting market.// Back to Top

 =The Patrick O'Brien House= According to the book, __Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory:[v. 1] City of South Bend__, the house that Patrick O'Brien had built at +++++ W. Washington St. (which was ultimately demolished) was designed by Charles A. Brehmer (1860-1909):

> //Charles Brehmer, one of the earliest professional architects to practice in South Bend, is best known for his designs of Victorian style houses and fire stations. He was born in Glencoe, Illinois, and raised in Bay City, Michigan. He attended the University of Notre Dame where he studied architecture and engineering. After graduation he returned to Bay City for two years to work as an architectural draftsman. In 1884 he came back to South Bend and established his own practice.//

> //Many of Brehmer's important early houses in downtown South Bend have been demolished. Such as the [|Frank Mayr] house on S. Lafayette Boulevard and the Pat O'Brien house on W. Washington Street. [|Three fire stations designed by Brehmer] still remain [as of 1982 when this book was published], -- Hose Company's No's 3, 6, and 7]]////. In Benton Harbor, Michigan, he designed the Arlington Hotel. (29-30)// Back to Top

 =**The O'Brien Family Tree**=

By exploring various documents and resources, I've attempted to piece together a family pedigree for this early South Bend family. To view my Patrick O'Brien Family Tree, follow this link. Back to Top

 =The John and Miles O'Brien Family=

Of note is there was another O'Brien family in South Bend during its earliest days that is, apparently, unrelated to the Patrick O'Brien Family. John O'Brien (1871-1936) and Miles O'Brien (1871-1946), well-known twin brothers and founders of South Bend's Lathe Works (established in 1906 as The South Bend Machine Tool Company) ("South Bend Lathe History"). Today, South Bend Lathe Works is still a competitive business from a new location on Bendix Drive near the South Bend Regional Airport ("Economic Development: South Bend: Studebaker Corridor Passes Tipping Point to Recovery" ). For a more complete history of the South Bend Lathe Works, refer to the company's website at this [|link].

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 =Works Consulted:=

Adhesives & Sealants Industry. __Adhesives & Sealants Industry Magazine__ Oct. 2005. 19 Oct. 2007 <[|http://www.adhesivesmag.com/ASI/Protected/Files/PDF/ASI_50_2005.pdf>.]

__Art Work of South Bend and Vicinity__. 1894, 1889. Evansville, IN: Whipporwill Publications, 1985.

"Company History." __Royal Adhesives and Sealants__. 2007. 19 Oct 2007 <[|http://www.royaladhesives.com/history.asp>.]

Dobson, Richard. __Some Hoosier Romance and Reminiscence__. 1923. Kokomo, IN: Selby Publishing and Printing, 1988.

Dodson, Paul. "Adhesives Plant in South Bend, Ind., Gets New Owner, Name." Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. 10 Nov. 2001. 19 Oct. 2007 <[|http://www.libraryo.com/article.aspx?num=79924401>.]

"Economic Development: South Bend: Studebaker Corridor Passes Tipping Point to Recovery." __City of South Bend Website__. 12 July 2007. 22 Oct 2007 <[|http://www.southbendin.gov/2007-07-12-StudebakerNews.asp>.]

"Fordyce Inn 1915 O'Brien Varnish Co. Liquid Velvet Ad (Ebay Auction #140152998897)." Ebay.com. The Woods Elf Store (Ebay Seller). 18 Oct 2007 <[|http://cgi.ebay.com/FORDYCE-INN-1915-OBRIEN-VARNISH-CO-LIQUID-VELVET-AD_W0QQitemZ140152998897QQcmdZViewItem>.]

Howard, Timothy Edward. __A History of St. Joseph County, Indiana__. 1907. 2 vols. Evansville, IN: Unigraphic, 1971.

"Indiana properties listed on the State and National Registers." __Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology Website__. Indiana Department of Natural Resources. 18 Oct 2007 <[|http://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/bin/nrlistnew.pdf>.]

Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources. __Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory:[v. 1] City of South Bend__. Unknown Publisher, 1982.

Kepshire, Thomas W. and Buzzy Needum. "O'Brien Varnish Company." __South Bend Historical Industry and Locations (Website)__. 2005. Monon.Monon.Org. 18 Oct 2007 <[|http://www.monon.monon.org/sobend/obrien.html>.]

Reznik, Shirley, Jeannine Hartman, Linda Nelson, and Polly Helms. __Standpipe Stories__. South Bend, IN, 1980?

Ronco, Ed. "Business purchase widens horizons ; Area adhesives company enters aerospace market. " __South Bend Tribune__ [South Bend, Ind.] 14 Dec. 2005,1. Indiana Newsstand. ProQuest. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN. 19 Oct. 2007 

"South Bend Lathe History." __South Bend Lathe.com__. South Bend Lathe. 22 Oct 2007 <[|http://www.southbendlathe.com/history.htm>.]

Tubbs, Chuck and Nancy Tubbs. "Business in Wartime." __Keb Irish Gazette__. Vol. 9, Issue 11 Feb. 2006. 18 Oct. 2007 <[|http://www.finniwig.com/A20060201.htm>.]

__**Newspaper Clippings:**__ Source: "Industry - O'Brien Varnish Company" vertical file. Local History and Genealogy Department. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 1) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, August 11, 1913. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 2) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, August 12, 1913. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 3) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, June 7, 1917. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 4) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, September 13, 1936. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 5) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, December 8, 1936. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 6) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, November 11, 1945. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 7) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, December 31, 1953. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 8) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, September 30, 1954. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 9) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, May 23, 1995. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 10) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, July 25, 1995. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 11) South Bend Tribune. South Bend, IN, November 27, 1995. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 12) New York Times. New York, NY, February 23, 1919. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.
 * 13) New York Times. New York, NY, July 27, 1937. St. Joseph County Public Library, South Bend, IN.

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 =Notes=   Back to Top
 * 1** Howard, 554.
 * 2** The court house is still located at [|112 South Lafayette, South Bend, Indiana].

//**Primary Author of this Wiki Page: Lisa Wynn**//