Trade shows have been around for a long long time. They are still the best way to show new product, connect with ones customers, and check out your competition. Almost everyone has been to a flower show, travel show, steam shows, etc. The Ashton Valve company participated in many shows each year. And a few World Fairs too. Here is an overview of some of the shows the Ashton Valve company were part of. First brief history of the Trade Show. https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/pro ... -shows.htm https://www.applerock.com/blog/post/his ... trade-show Most shows were held yearly at different cities. Below is a small list of some of the trade shows Ashton Valve attended. Mass charitable mechanic association, Boston 1874 cincinnati Industrial expo 1881 national expo of railway appliances , chicago 1883 International maritime expo ,Boston 1889 Columbian Expo (world's fair) Chicago 1893 Paris expo, France 1900 Supply mens association convention, Boston 1902 Universal Expo (worlds fair) St. Louis 1904 National association of stationary engineers, Richmond 1904 International railway congress 1905 National engineer convention, Niagra Falls 1907 Air brake association convention 1917 International Textile expo Boston 1921 National exhibition of power and mechanical engineering, NYC 1922 The list goes on and on.... Next I'll highlight some of the shows that I was able to get pictures of Ashton Valve display booths or awards they received.
The International maritime exposition, Boston,Ma 1889 Mass Fair National Export Exhibition 1892 Cincinnati 188 1
1893 World Columbian Expo (worlds fair) Chicago 1899 National export expo Philadelphia, Pa. Paris 1900, the company won a few awards at this one.
1904 Stationary Engineers Richmond,Va 1907 Stationary Engineers Convention Niagra Falls 1910 Rochester,NY
What better way to make a gauge easier to read in a dark boiler room than to illuminate it? I found one from around 1900 where the bulb was fixed behind the gauge, not always practical. Here's what Ashton Valve came up with.
The 1920 catalog included a few pages explaining the reasons that the Ashton pop safety valve was superior to it's competition.
I love the old advertisement art. Besides some beautiful fonts used for the lettering you can get a god look at many of the other products being advertised. A bit of a time capsule.
In 1900 The US was negotiating trade treaties with other countries, including France, to reduce the tariffs and sell more US goods overseas. Many US firms contacted the President, McKinley, to express their support for a new treaty. Ashton Valve was one of them.
An old advert from the 1894 publication "Around the Lakes. It was put out by the Detroit Drydock Company, a ship building company from around the turn of the century. Here is some information about the company. https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/detroit-dry-dock-company http://oldshipbuilder.com/SMMC.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_Dock_Complex_(Detroit,_Michigan) http://www.detroiturbex.com/content/industry/globe/index.html
Ashton Valve only used Jessop Steel, a UK steel manufacturer from Sheffield England for their valve springs. Here is some information about the company. Catalog page from the 1896 catalog. https://www.westyorkssteel.com/blog/thomas-jessop-man-steel-veins/