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Fairfield Engine Company – A History
Fairfield Engine Company in Fairfield, Iowa operated from 1916 until 1945. There were many ups and downs for the company thru its history. Let’s take a look at how the company came to be, the development of the Fairfield engine, and some of the significant challenges and changes the company experienced.
Origin of the Company
The predecessor company to Fairfield was Anderson Automatic Engine Company. This company got its start in 1913 in St. Joseph, Missouri. The principle behind this company was Charles C. Anderson. C.C. Anderson was described as having 25 years of experience building gas engines, and of holding responsible positions at several big engine companies.
In June of 1911 Anderson was granted a patent for a Rod Packing invention that improved sealing of crankcases in 2 cycle engines. This was assigned to Uhler Motor Co. of St. Joseph, MO. Uhler Motor Co. had incorporated in July of 1909 to build a new design of engine. The new engine design was based on a patent of Francis M. Uhler of Lincoln, NE. The unique Uhler engine likely did not make it into production, with only a few prototypes constructed. A more conventional 2 cycle upright engine was sold by Uhler in small quantities. Uhler had a factory site in St. Joseph at 830 S Fifth Street. Uhler Motor Company struggled and by early 1913 they filed for bankruptcy. Apparently the company even tried to survive thru the export trade as evidenced by ads in exporter trade journals from late 1911 to early 1913.
Anderson had likely moved on from Uhler by 1912 and was looking for new opportunities. In August of 1912 he submitted a patent application for an Internal Combustion Engine. Perhaps he was influenced by his time with Uhler, as this new invention used a double acting stepped piston design to fire at both ends. This new engine was described as 2 cycle, and thru its unique design, purported to solve many of the problems with conventional engines. He was granted patent US 1094398 in April of 1914.
Anderson was busy in 1913 trying to secure factory space for a new company in St. Joseph. In July came announcements in trade magazines and newspapers that the new company had bought an existing dormant factory in Davenport, Iowa. The new company was Anderson Automatic Engine Co., and it was incorporated in both Davenport and St. Joseph. The purpose of the company was to manufacture gasoline engines and railroad motor section cars. It was hoped to be in operation by early August, as they claimed to have contracts for 50 of the section cars per month. The section cars were described as the lightest available in the industry at under 600 pounds, and were powered by a high compression type engine.
After the announcement Anderson went to Chicago in search of equipment. Leadtimes were 2 months at best, so the initial startup would focus on the foundry and getting castings underway. In January of 1914 the company showed off their newest section car to town officials in Davenport. They again claimed to have orders from a number of railroads that would take them several months to make.
In August of 1914 it was announced in the Fairfield, Iowa newspaper that the Anderson Automatic Engine Co. would be in Fairfield to demonstrate their products on a siding of the CB&Q railroad. In reality the company was looking for investors and a new place to relocate. A week after the demo it was reported in the paper that stock sales were going well and it was almost an assured fact that Fairfield would secure this new industry for the town.
By mid-September it was indeed a done deal – Anderson Automatic Engine Co. would be moving to Fairfield. A board of directors and officers were elected. The President now was H.C. Alston. C.C. Anderson was the Treasurer and Manager for the company. A site for a new factory was secured northwest of the intersection of the Rock Island (CRIP) and Burlington (CB&Q) railroads.
With the new stockholders and new leadership for the company, the direction for the company began to change. C.C. Anderson appears to have left the company perhaps as early as 1915. In 1917 he was based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was associated with Reliance Ring Co., and he got a few additional patents concerning pistons and piston rings.
Origin of the Engine
The earliest mention of a 4 HP engine made by Anderson Automatic Engine Co. in Fairfield occurred in July of 1915. A local farmer, J.C. Yeager, had attached an engine made by the company to his binder. Other Jefferson County farmers soon followed his example. The local mercantile business, Allen-Streed Co., took up the service to install the engines onto binders. The Anderson Automatic Engine Co. sold all their completed engines for this purpose, as it was well suited for this application.
The new engine got positive mentions again in the local newspaper in October of 1916. There was a power outage in the town, and one of the engines was used to power a generator which kept the newspaper in operation. Engines with generators were also placed into service at the movie theater to keep them open. The company name was changed at this time to Fairfield Engine Co., and leadership had transitioned to F.W. Jericho.
The same newspaper article attributes the design and development of the engine to a local man, Buford Murray. Murray had grown up in Fairfield, and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1900. He then attended Iowa State College in Ames, Iowa and got a degree in mechanical engineering. He was an early inventor, with a patent granted in 1901 for a Gas and Air Mixer. In 1904 he designed and built a gasoline engine powered boat for a trip down the Mississippi River to attend the St. Louis Fair. The engine for the boat was of his own design, and included making patterns and drawings for the 2 HP engine, and later machining the castings. Back in Fairfield he went to work for the telephone company, and then operated an auto shop (Murray-Allender). Murray was an active early promoter of automobiles, and attended automotive shows in Chicago and Des Moines. The auto shop business became overextended and filed for bankruptcy in April 1914.
The new engine company in town likely was a draw for Murray, and with his prior experience designing an engine the company may have come to him. What were the inspirations for the new engine? It is quite possible that Anderson had brought some of the 2 cycle Uhler engines along with him, potentially this was the power source for the company’s motor section car. The Cushman engine was on the market since 1910, and with Lincoln’s close proximity to St. Joseph it was likely a very visible and well known example to reference. Murray’s automotive experiences also were a big factor into the design of the Fairfield engine. The engine was referred to in catalogs as the “Auto Type” engine, and used spiral cut gears, mechanically operated intake & exhaust valves, and extra large bearings from automotive design.
The earliest photos of the engine show it equipped with a Schebler style carburetor. Both the Uhler and Cushman used Schebler carbs, so it may have just been convenient to use a similar carb. However, this was soon changed to a Holley type carb, possibly due to Cushman objecting to the use of the Schebler (which they held a patent on), or to differentiate the Fairfield engine further from the Cushman.
Murray left Fairfield Engine Co. and moved on to run Central Mfg Co in Fairfield, a concern that built and sold radio sets. Later in his work life he worked in various woodworking and machine shops. Murray died May 1, 1945 from suicide.
Early years 1916 – 1924
Early success with the engine as a power source for binders, led the company to initially focus on this market. Other purposes for the engine became apparent over time, as they added the engine to power other implements such as potato diggers. Use of the engine to power a dynamo was also found satisfactory, so a farm lighting plant configuration was offered. The engine also was being used to power water pumps and saws.
Still the company struggled in its first several years. Due to the company’s financial condition by 1919, the city council abated the taxes for the company for the 1918 year. Leadership at the company was changed several times in these early years, with a succession of men serving as President and other officer roles. The Manager position changed even more often as the company tried to find its way. An experienced engine man, Raymond Charles, was installed as Superintendent in Dec 1918.
An August of 1920 article on the company spoke of the issues the company was having. Shortages of gray iron for castings was a problem that had limited engine production for some time. Early management misfortunes were also blamed for holding back progress and production for the company. But the company was optimistic these issues were now improved. Engine production capacity was stated as 10 engines per day. A photo of the factory interior shows approximately 50 engines, with completed engines arranged in neat rows.
The early 1920s were no easier for the Fairfield Engine Company. Factory Managers lasted on average about 2 years before they left or were replaced. In an effort to generate more income for the firm, the company took on the agency for the J.I. Case Threshing Machinery Company. This consisted of selling and servicing steam engines of all sizes, threshing machines, plows, discs, and more. A large area of the Fairfield factory was set up as a showroom for Case products, and there also was an area to provide service. The company also took on repair work for machines of all kinds.
A flyer from the 1920s lists the retail price as $150 for an engine with battery ignition and mounted on wood skids. For an extra $25 a Dixie magneto could be added to the engine. Horsepower was shown as 4-1/2, with the throttling governor providing for speeds from 300 to 1500 RPM.
Bankruptcy and Rebirth
Many of the sales of products was done thru distributors. The company also was an exhibitor at the county fair for several years and participated in manufacturing expos staged in Fairfield. By late 1925 the company was placing short ads in the local newspaper trying to sell engines at a special low price for a short time.
In September of 1926 came notice that the assets of the company were to be sold. On October 5 the assets were sold at auction to Colonel W.G. Heaton. The article on the sale notes that the factory had been shut down for some time. There was a good stock of completed engines which would be sold. After this it was the intent of the new owner to begin building engines again. Heaton had been the Manager (and Secretary) of the company for the year prior.
The late 1920s saw the company continuing to periodically advertise engines for sale. Fairfield engines for application on binders was still an area of focus. The company continued to participate in the county fair. In 1929 it was noted the company had even sold two engines to a buyer in New Zealand.
The End
Fairfield engine production continued in the late 1920s and into the early 1930s, though likely in small quantities. As the 1930s continued the business shifted to focus more on providing service parts for Fairfield engines.
In the late 1930s an engine looking very similar to the Fairfield began to be advertised and sold in Australia. Offered by Invincible Motors Pty Limited of Sydney, Australia was a 6-8 HP Model BS 4 cycle engine for marine applications. The ad states it is made in the US, and assembled in Australia. This was followed up by ads in the 1940s for a 5 HP Invincible Economy engine for stationary applications. It is a very similar engine to the Fairfield that even used the same advertising photos from earlier Fairfield catalogs. It is likely that Fairfield Engine Company supplied the parts to Invincible. Only a small quantity of these engines were built.
In August of 1945 Colonel Heaton passed away. With his death came the end of Fairfield Engine Company. Heaton had continued with the mailing of service parts for engines until just a few months prior to his death.
The factory was sold to August Van Lantschoot in November 1945. He reopened it as Fairfield Metal Products early in 1946 as an aluminum foundry. The company later was known as Fairfield Aluminum Castings Company (Falco). The factory became part of Alcast in 2017. Alcast closed the Fairfield factory during the Covid pandemic and moved production and equipment to other facilities. The building is currently (2022) empty, but is available for storage. The original building of Fairfield Engine Co. still stands in the southeast corner of the large factory complex.