Classic Hat Makers List

[Brad Bowers]

Clean Up Duty

Thanks guys. I'm going to do a little clean up duty here to fix the loose ends.

Cavanagh...

Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc. formed in 1928 to merge Dobbs and Crofut & Knapp. Cavanagh-Dobbs acquired Sunfast Hats, of Danbury, CT in 1928, Crofut & Knapp in 1929 and F. Berg & Company of Norwalk, CT in 1929. Cavanagh-Dobbs merged with Knox and Dunlap in 1932 to create the Hat Corporation of America.

This section in red needs to be deleted, because it is old information from my original post last year or whenever it was, and is not accurate, since the merger was in 1928.

Champ...

In the 1956 Resistol acquired Champ, and had it under its collection of labels when it merged with the Hat Corporation of America.

This needs to be changed due to inaccuracy.

Hat Corporation of America purchased Champ in 1956. At some point between 1956 and 1972, Hat Corporation of America changed its name to HCA Industries, probably a result of a buyout by the Salesky brothers, but I don't have any more information than that. HCA Industries closed their CT factories in 1972 and sold out to Koracorp Industries, Inc., owners of Byer-Rolnick (Resistol).

Crofut & Knapp
Founded by James Henry Knapp in Stamford, Connecticut, Crofut & Knapp were the makers of Knapp Felt Hats of New York City. The company was actually located in Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Knox, Cavanagh, and Dobbs.
The company merged with Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1929 1928 to create Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc., which in turn, merged with Knox and Dunlap in 1932 to create the Hat Corporation of America in 1932.

Knox should be struck from this sentence because I don't have any specific information that says Knox closed their Brooklyn factory and moved everything to CT. I'm not sure we can definitively say they moved to Norwalk just because the corporate headquarters was located there. Operations for Knox might have remained in NY.

Cavanagh- should be struck, as only Crofut & Knapp and Dobbs merged to form Cavanagh-Dobbs. (This is what I get for trying to post during a work break yesterdaylol ).

1929 should be struck and replaced with 1928, as this happened in 1928.

Dobbs
Dobbs Hats started in 1908 by advertising executive Robert Holmes in partnership with John Cavanagh. Unable to get Crofut & Knapp products sold in towns around the country due to franchise restrictions, Cavanagh created the Dobbs brand and hired H. Dewitt Dobbs, manager of the Dunlap store, who lent his name to the new line of hats.
One of the premiere hat-makers in the 1930s and 1940s, the company was located in South Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Crofut & Knapp, and Cavanagh. The company merged with Cavanagh Hats in 1928 to form Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc. Crofut & Knapp was added to the fold in in 1929. Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc., merged with Knox and Dunlap in 1932 to create the Hat Corporation of America.

I don't think Holmes entered into a actual partnership with Cavanagh to make Dobbs hats, but Cavanagh was a shrewd marketer, and he probably hired Holmes to create the branding for Dobbs hats. I know Debbie Henderson says that Holmes and Dobbs created Dobbs hats, but I don't know where she got this information. I have several sources that state Cavanagh started Dobbs, and that he hired H. DeWitt Dobbs for his name.

Cavanagh Hats in red needs to change to Crofut & Knapp. The following sentence about Crofut & Knapp in red needs to be struck, for reasons already given.

Hat Corporation of America (later became H.C.A. Industries)
Founded as the General Hat Company in the early 1930s by John Cavanagh, whose Park Avenue hat shop was among the most prestigious in the United States. In 1932 the company aquired Cavanagh-Dobbs and merged with Knox and Dunlap, becoming the Hat Corporation of America, and one of the leading manufacturers of high-end hats, and second in size only to John B. Stetson. In the 1950s the Hat Corporation of America merged with Byer-Rolnick (Resistol), and through that merger gained ownership to the rights for such brands Kevin McAndrew, Bradford, Churchill, and Champ, as well as its original brands, Knox, Dunlap, Dobbs and Cavanagh.

The first part in red I admit comes from my confusing entry, so I'm going to clarify things. When first announced in March 1932, the company into which Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc. and Knox were to be merged was initially named General Hat Corporation. By May 6, 1932, the company was actually known as the Hat Corporation of America, so incorporation papers were probably never filed under the name of General Hat Corporation. Just a bit of useless trivia that should probably be struck, except the name change I think better reflects the company's goals and aspirations.

The second part is wrong, as stated above, in that HCA Industries had no affiliation with Resistol until 1972.

Knox
Charles Knox, an Irish immigrant who came to the United States in 1930 at age 12, and apprenticed to Leary & Company Hatters of New York, opened his first hat shop before he was 20. The company he founded was one of the premiere hat-makers in the day, along with Dobbs and Cavanagh, Knox positioned their hats as being the best money could buy, and had a knack for exploiting a market with slick advertising. The Knox factory was originally located in Brooklyn, NY, with a store on Fifth Avenue. The company later relocated to Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Cavanagh, Crofut & Knapp, and Dobbs. Knox merged with Dunlap 1918. Knox and Dunlap were merged with Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1932 to create the Hat Corporation of America. Hat Corp. was second in size only to John B. Stetson.

The part in red should be struck, as stated above.

Resistol
Founded in Dallas Texas by financier E.R. Byer and hat maker Harry Rolnick in 1927 the firm of Byer-Rolnick produced men's felt hats in Western and Dress stylings, under the newly created brand name "Resistol Hats," meaning to resist-all weather. Distribution was limited to Texas and Oklahoma initially, but by the late 1930's was nation-wide. Byer-Rolnick eventually merged with the Hat Corporation of America (HatCo) in the 1950s.

Koracorp Industries, Inc., who owned Byer-Rolnick, bought out HCA Industries (the former Hat Corporation of America) in 1972.

Stetson, John B....

In 1979 the Stetson name was acquired by the Hat Corporation of America (HatCo).

Koracorp Industries, Inc., acquired the Stetson name, not Hat Corporation of America or the later HATCO.


If this is confusing, I'll be glad to correct these entries and send them on.

Thanks,

Brad

 

[Marty M.]

???

Great list and thread. Thank you Gentlemen for all of work on this. In reading this I noticed Forman and Clark. There was a longstanding menswear firm by that same name. They went out of business about fifteen years ago. Was there a Hat maker of the same name? Or was this just private label hats of the old store?
Marty Mathis

 

[carter]

Check Edit

Brad and mingo, I just made the edits on the page. Thos is easier than updating the spreadsheet every time. Please check the edited post for accuracy. Carter

 

[johnnyphi]

MacLane, Royalist and Bianchi Box Photos

For the record... Here are photos of the MacLane and Royalist boxes, along with a brand called Bianchi, from Italy. The Bianchi hats appear to be mostly Velour, but I'm throwing them out there (not throwing them out) because these brands seem to meet the definition of classic hat makers.

The MacLane hats in this particular box are straw, and I've got another few boxes that contain fur-felt fedoras, too.

 

[johnnyphi]

Chesterfield Box

Here is a long distance photo of a Chesterfield box. Interesting that the box features a large rendition of the White House... What's up with that?

 

[KObalto]

"Charles Knox, an Irish immigrant who came to the United States in 1930 at age 12, and apprenticed to Leary & Company Hatters of New York, opened his first hat shop before he was 20. The company he founded was one of the premiere hat-makers in the day, along with Dobbs and Cavanagh, Knox positioned their hats as being the best money could buy, and had a knack for exploiting a market with slick advertising. The Knox factory was originally located in Brooklyn, NY, with a store on Fifth Avenue. The company later relocated to Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Cavanagh, Crofut & Knapp, and Dobbs. Knox merged with Dunlap 1918. Knox and Dunlap were merged with Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1932 to create the Hat Corporation of America. Hat Corp. was second in size only to John B. Stetson."
Something appears awry with the dates here. If Charles Knox was 12 in 1930, Knox couldn't have merged with Dunlap in 1918.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Typo, it should be 1830, I think. I don't have the year he arrived in the States, but after his apprenticeship, Knox opened his own hat shop in 1838.

Brad

 

[besdor]

Dalton Hats

Dalton was a manufacturer that was in Yonkers NY. Like many of the smaller manufacturers of the day, by the late 1940's they went out of business or merged with other companied.




Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[mingoslim]

Hat Corporation of America/HCA/HatCo . . .

See if this lissting more accurately reflects the correct info.

Hat Corporation of America
Founded by John Cavanagh, whose Park Avenue hat shop was among the most prestigious in the United States.

Originally to be called the General Hat Company, the Hat Corporation of America was created through the merger of Knox and Dunlap with Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1932. By the mid 1930s, the company was one of the leading manufacturers of high-end hats, and second in size only to John B. Stetson.

In 1956 Hat Corporation of America acquired Champ from LaSalle, and began to market their lines in a “tiered” manner that was similar to the sales structure of General Motors’ vehicles, with Cavanagh being the Cadillac line, Knox being the Oldsmobile, Dobbs, representing the Buick level, and Champ, the Chevrolet line.

In the 1960s the company changed its name to HCA Industries. In 1972 HCA was bought out by Koracorp, the owners of Byer-Rolnick (Resistol), and through that merger gained the rights for such brands Kevin McAndrew, Bradford, and Churchill, as well as its original brands, Knox, Dunlap, Dobbs, Chanp and Cavanagh.

In 1979 HCA acquired the Stetson name and in 1985 was bought by ADJ Caps, which owned the Texas, Miller and Adam labels, among others.

HCA changed hands several times in the 1980s; finally, in 1992 a new group of investors reorganized the various corporate entities into HATCO. The company currently manufactures the following: Cavanagh, Dobbs, Knox, Mallory, Stetson, and Resistol. Their production facility is located in Garland, TX.

 

[Brad Bowers]

See if this lissting more accurately reflects the correct info.

Hat Corporation of America
Founded by John Cavanagh, whose Park Avenue hat shop was among the most prestigious in the United States.

Originally to be called the General Hat Company, the Hat Corporation of America was created through the merger of Knox and Dunlap with Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1932. By the mid 1930s, the company was one of the leading manufacturers of high-end hats, and second in size only to John B. Stetson.

In 1956 Hat Corporation of America acquired Champ from LaSalle, and began to market their lines in a “tiered” manner that was similar to the sales structure of General Motors’ vehicles, with Cavanagh being the Cadillac line, Knox being the Oldsmobile, Dobbs, representing the Buick level, and Champ, the Chevrolet line.

In the 1960s the company changed its name to HCA Industries. In 1972 HCA was bought out by Koracorp, the owners of Byer-Rolnick (Resistol), and through that merger gained the rights for such brands Kevin McAndrew, Bradford, and Churchill, as well as its original brands, Knox, Dunlap, Dobbs, Chanp and Cavanagh.

In 1979 HCA acquired the Stetson name and in 1985 was bought by ADJ Caps, which owned the Texas, Miller and Adam labels, among others.

HCA changed hands several times in the 1980s; finally, in 1992 a new group of investors reorganized the various corporate entities into HATCO. The company currently manufactures the following: Cavanagh, Dobbs, Knox, Mallory, Stetson, and Resistol. Their production facility is located in Garland, TX.

I'd strike the first line in the entry, as it was a public incorporation, not a business founded by Cavanagh, even though he was the guiding hand.

In the 1960s might be better as By 1972. I did some more digging through all my files and the name change appears to have been closer to the sale in 1972, and not related to the Salesky brothers' purchase much earlier. It's looking more like the name change was related to the company divesting itself of its hat business but retaining a corporate identity to continue on in other lines of business.

HCA should be changed to Koracorp in its first red instance. HCA ceased to have anything to do with hats in 1972, since they sold their worldwide rights, licensing their trademarked names to Koracorp, just as Stetson licensed their name to Stevens in 1971.

In the second red instance, HCA should be changed to "Rights to the former Hat Corporation brands," since that is the most accurate. Basically, since 1971 and 1972, the rights to manufacture and sell these brands are all we're really talking about.

Thanks mingoslim.

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

This would help, I think

Here's a chart I just threw together, but I think this is what we need on a website for all these companies, when we can tie them together. With the graphic, it's easier to visualize the relationships. Then you could click on each name and pull up these individual histories we've been compiling in a pop-up window or something, with links to photos of hats, advertisements, and so forth.

I don't know if MK would be interested in doing this on the FL or Golden Era websites, but if not, I'm going to have a website next year, and I'd be glad to host something like this.

Brad

 

[duggap]

Nice research gentlemen, I for one would vote to have this thread made a sticky.:eusa_clap

 

[carter]

Updated List as of 12-30-2007

Adam
Adam Hats of Fifth Avenue were produced by Miller Brothers as the budget brand of the day. None-the-less, the brand was very popular in the 1940s and 50s. One reason for that popularity was that Adam made a dependable hat afor considerably less the the “big name” makers. They also made sure that they copied the styles of the most popular hat makers . . . and the “elite” models of the company, the Executive and the Aristocrat, were of a quality that could compete with Stetson, Knox and company..
They had a famous radio slogan "I love my man who wears an Adam Hat".

Akubra
An old Australian hat company, founded in Tasmania by Benjamin Dunkerley in the 1870s, moving to Sydney, New South Wales, in 1918, and Kempsey, also in New South Wales, in the '70s. The company is famous for its rabbit-fur felt, and for the Australian military slouch hats it manufactures. Today, not only are the company's hats revered as an Australian cultural icon, but are praised for their quality, and it is generally agreed that they are the best modern-day factory-produced fur felt hats on the market. Akubra is known for its impressive array of styles, which are produced by rotating production in a tri-monthly cycle. This can often mean that there is a delay in filling hat orders of up to 3 months, if the particular style, color, and hat size are not in stock at the time, but it is also known to allow a degree of customization. If the purchaser desires a special color or size, he can often speak with a dealer and work something out.


Artel Hats

Bailey
Founded in 1922 by George Bailey, and still in production.

Barbisio
A classic Italian manufacturer, and a competitor of Borsalino. Barbisio also was contracted to make Borsalino hats occasionally.Closed in the 1980s. Founded in 1862, Barbisio was a classic Italian manufacturer in the Cervo Valley, and a competitor of Borsalino. The company began exporting worldwide in the 1930s and continued to produce quality hats today.

Bates
Edward Bates Ltd of London was founded on Jermyn Street at the turn of the last century, and remains in business today.

Beaver Brand
Founded in 1860 in St. Louis, Missouri, and based in New Haven, Missouri since 1928, this manufacturer, Formerly known as Gauss-Hunicke and Langenburg Hat Co is still in operation today.

Bee Hats
A small family-owned firm founded in 1926 and originally located on Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis, MO, the company ceased production in 2000.

Biltmore
Canadaian Company founded in 1917 and still in operation

Boldt
Washington D.C.

Bond

Borsalino
A classic Italian manufacturer, still doing business today. The company began in 1857, in Alessandria Italy; when Giuseppe Borsalino set up the first artisan workshop for the production of felt hats. When Giuseppe Borsalino died in 1900, his business employed almost a thousand workers and boasted an annual production of one million hats. By 1913 the company employed more than 2500 workers and reached an annual production of more than 2 million hats with its products reaching every corner of the world.

Bradford

Brent
The “house” brand for Montgomery Wards stores.

Brooks Brothers
A retailer that continues to sell hats of a certain indifferent quality

Buckley

Cavalier

Cavanagh
Cavanagh Hats was started by John Cavanagh in 1928 in conjunction with the creation of Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc., out of the merger of Dobbs and Cavanagh. Cavanagh opened an exclusive store, John Cavanagh, Ltd., at 247 Park Avenue in NYC. One of the finest hat-makers in the 1920s and 30s, Cavanagh remained a premier hat maker through the 1950s, and made excellent hats into the ‘60s.
Cavanagh introduced the Cavanagh Edge patented 25 February 1913. A second patent, for an improved version of the Cavanagh Edge was granted on May 19, 1931.
Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc. formed in 1928 to merge Dobbs and Cavanagh. Cavanagh-Dobbs acquired Sunfast Hats, of Danbury, CT in 1928 and F. Berg & Company of Norwalk, CT in 1929. Cavanagh-Dobbs merged with Knox and Dunlap in 1932 to create the Hat Corporation of America.

Caxton

Cervo
Founded in 1897, Cappellificio Cervo is fine Italian hatter, located in Sagliano Micca, Italy, at the foot of the Alps. During the late nineteenth century, the Cervo valley was home to more than 30 hat factories. The company is still in business, making fine quality hats, and has, from time to time, been contracted by Borsalino to make their felts and hats.


Champ
Champ was founded in Sunbury, PA. Their hats were distributed nationally from at least the 1940's. Considered a budget to mid-quality brand by many, Champ made a really nice quality hat, and though they were certainly not top-of-the-line, they had a lot of style! Champ hats sold for about $7.50 in the 1940s and 50s, on par with the products of Adam and Lee, while Knox, Mallory and Stetson started in the $10 range. In the 1950s Champ used celebrities in advertising, such as Guy Williams. They also sponsored fights and had radio ads with Walter Winchell.
Hat Corporation of America purchased Champ in 1956. At some point between 1956 and 1972, Hat Corporation of America changed its name to HCA Industries, probably a result of a buyout by the Salesky brothers (need more information). HCA Industries closed their CT factories in 1972 and sold out to Koracorp Industries, Inc., owners of Byer-Rolnick (Resistol).


Chesterfield

Christy's of London
Founded by Miller Christy in a small courtyard shop off Gracechurch Street in the city of London in 1773, Christy’s is still manufacturing fine quality hats today.
The modern Christys' has absorbed or merged with many old hatters firms;. including Lincoln Bennett, Henry Heath, The Chestergate Hat Manufacturing Co., Scott's Ltd., Battersby's, T&W Lee's of Stockport, Moore's and Wilson's of Denton, and, of course, the original Christys'.

Churchill
A line of fine quality hats, the Churchill line was bought out by Resistol in the 1950s, though Resistol continued to produce hats under that name for quite some time.

Citation

Courtney

Crofut & Knapp
Founded by James Henry Knapp in Stamford, Connecticut, Crofut & Knapp were the makers of Knapp Felt Hats of New York City. The company was actually located in Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Cavanagh, and Dobbs. The company merged with Dobbs in 1928 to create Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc., which in turn, merged with Knox and Dunlap in 1932 to create the Hat Corporation of America in 1932.

Dalton
Dalton was a manufacturer in Yonkers NY. Like many of the smaller manufacturers of the day, by the late 1940's they went out of business or merged with another company.

Disney
Founded in 1885 in New York City, during the 1930s and 1940s the Disney Hat Co. was a known for excellent quality and styles that appealed to the younger man, with different colors and ribbon combinations.

Dobbs
Dobbs Hats started in 1908 by John Cavanagh. Unable to get Crofut & Knapp products sold in towns around the country due to franchise restrictions, Cavanagh created the Dobbs brand and hired H. Dewitt Dobbs, manager of the Dunlap store, who lent his name to the new line of hats. He may well have hired advertising executive Robert Holmes to create the branding for Dobbs Hats.
One of the premiere hat-makers in the 1930s and 1940s, the company was located in South Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Crofut & Knapp, and Cavanagh. The company merged with Crofut & Knapp in 1928 to form Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc. Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc., merged with Knox and Dunlap in 1932 to create the Hat Corporation of America.

Duff

Dunlap
Robert Dunlap received his first job at the age of 12 in 1857 as a general office boy for Charles Knox of Knox Hats in New York. Soon the boy graduated to the ranks of the hat salesmen, and several years later was still selling Knox hats, his salary having risen to $12 weekly. Ambitious, he asked for $15, and when Knox refused the raise the angry, Dunlap left to start his own business. Thus began the famed Dunlap hat company, founded by a onetime Knox errand boy.
By the late 1890s Dunlap Hats was known for the quality of its high end “formal” hats, such as top hats and bowlers. In deed, Dunlap succeeded in turning out the blackest derbies ever known, the Dunlap hat eventually outsold the Knox in Manhattan. For many a year small hat-makers held up their spring lines until they could see and imitate the Dunlap derby and the Knox felt.
As for Knox-Dunlap competition, both the Knox and the Dunlap businesses declined in the second decade of the 20th century and in 1918 Dunlap was acquired by Knox, though hats under the Dunlap name continued to be produced.

Elis

Empire State

Etchinson
This small North Carolina company traced its origins to 1866 but by the 1940s, they were probably getting their hats made through Lee and finished them out with their liners and sweatbands.

F. Berg & Company (later Hodshon-Berg)
Found by Frederick Berg in NY in 1864. Moved to South Norwalk, CT, in 1926. Bought out by Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc., in 1929.
At the turn of the last century, the F. Berg hat factory complex was the most productive of the 34 firms manufacturing hats in Essex County New Jersey, which was the hat-making capital of the world between 1870 and World War I. The area had 21 hat-making companies by 1892, and 35 by 1900. Hat making began to decline in the 1920s, and the Berg company moved to Norwalk, Connecticut, where it was primarily a finisher, producing hats for high-end retailers such as Finchley’s in New York.

Francato Cappello

Flechet
France.

Foreman & Clark
Foreman & Clark was a chain of men’s clothing stores based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Francato Cappello
A quality hat-maker with product comparable to Borsalino.

GH

Gage

Gelot

Guerra
Another very good Italian hat.

Hardeman
The J.T. Hardeman Hat Company was established in the early 1900s and was located at 700 Republican Street in Seattle, Washington. Well-known for its fur felt hats.

Hat Corporation of America (later became HCA Industries)
Originally to be called the General Hat Company, the Hat Corporation of America was created through the merger of Knox and Dunlap with Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1932. By the mid 1930s, the company was one of the leading manufacturers of high-end hats, and second in size only to John B. Stetson.
In 1956 Hat Corporation of America acquired Champ from LaSalle, and began to market their lines in a “tiered” manner that was similar to the sales structure of General Motors’ vehicles, with Cavanagh being the Cadillac line, Knox being the Oldsmobile, Dobbs, representing the Buick level, and Champ, the Chevrolet line.
By 1972 the company had changed its name to HCA Industries. In 1972 HCA was bought out by Koracorp, the owners of Byer-Rolnick (Resistol), and through that merger gained the rights for such brands Kevin McAndrew, Bradford, and Churchill, as well as its original brands, Knox, Dunlap, Dobbs, Chanp and Cavanagh.
In 1979 Koracorp acquired the Stetson name. Koracorp sold in 1979 to Levi Strauss.
Irving Joel, who had bought Miller Bros. hat manufacturers in 1984, purchased Resistol and the old H.C.A. brands in 1985 as ADJ Caps, which owned the Texas, Miller and Adam labels, among others.
Joel sold out to the investment company of Hicks & Muse in 1992, which created HATCO out of their various hat brands. HATCO currently manufactures the following: Cavanagh, Dobbs, Knox, Mallory, Stetson, and Resistol. Their production facility is located in Garland, TX.

Hatters Guild

Hardeman

Henschel Hat Company
The Henschel Hat Company of Saint Louis, MO, USA has founded in 1947. At first, Henschel's niche was the leather hat business, but they have since expanded their line to include many varieties including felt, cloth, and straw.

Herbert Johnson
Herbert Louis Johnson was apprenticed in 1872 for seven years to hat-makers Lincoln Bennett, to learn the trade. He obviously did well and in 1889 on the somewhat unlikely advice of the Prince of Wales (later to become King Edward VII), he went into business with one Edward John Glazier at 45 New Bond Street, London. Johnson continued to work in the business personally until his retirement in 1928. He had made the name synonymous with quality "a man with a Herbert Johnson hat is a man apart".


Huckel
Germany

Imperial
Founded in 1916 as the Mid-West Cap Works Company, undergoing several name changes, ultimately becoming Imperial Headwear, Inc

James Locke & Co.
British

Kevin McAndrew
McAndrew was a high quality hatmaker, originally out of England, and later acquired by the Hat Corporation of America.

Knox
Charles Knox, an Irish immigrant who came to the United States in 1830 at age 12, and apprenticed to Leary & Company Hatters of New York, opened his first hat shop before he was 20. The company he founded was one of the premiere hat-makers in the day, along with Dobbs and Cavanagh, Knox positioned their hats as being the best money could buy, and had a knack for exploiting a market with slick advertising. The Knox factory was originally located in Brooklyn, NY, with a store on Fifth Avenue. Knox merged with Dunlap 1918. Knox and Dunlap were merged with Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1932. Originally called the General Hat Company, it quickly became the Hat Corporation of America. Hat Corp. was second in size only to John B. Stetson.

Kristall

Lamson-Hubbard Co.
Boston.

Langenburg (Lion Hats)
Founded in 1860 Gauss-Hunicke in St. Louis, the Langenburg Hat Co is the forerunner of Beaver Brand hats. The company moved its operations to New Haven Missouri in 1928, where it formed and shaped hats from stock materials manufactured at other locations. During peak production, the factory produced and shipped nearly 500,000 hats domestically and around the world each year. The facility closed in the late 1990s and the company was liquidated in 2000.

Largomarsino
Founded in 1891 by Don Carlos and Don Jose Lagomarsino in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this South American manufacturer is still in business today.

LaSalle
Owners of Champ until 1956.

Lee
The Frank Lee Hat Company, located in the hat-making center at Danbury, CT, Lee was probably the most prolific producer of hats for private labelling such as the economic JC Penney’s Marathon line and Brent for Montgomery Wards; their own brand ran from mid-grade to fine quality. Usually the wider the ribbon on a Lee the higher the grade of the hat (but not always, as is seen in the thin ribbon on the Lee 100). Lee considered its base $5-7.50 hat (depending on the year) a "farmer hat." The farmer hat had a thin ribbon and a thinly bound edge. The sweatband and liner were not as high quality as their expensive models. As the scale went up in price the hat was a better dress hat on up to the 100.

Lincoln Bennett & Co.
British hat manufacturer known for top hats.

Look & Johnson

MacLachlan
Harry MacLachlan began work as a hatter’s apprentice in 1884 and went into business for himself in 1892 in Danbury, Connecticut, producing rough felt bodies for finishers in the hat trade in that city. He formed the S.A.G. Hat Company in 1904, and in 1909 Mr. McLachlan and Frank H. Lee formed a partnership under the name of the Lee-McLachlan Co., which continued until 1914, when the partnership was dissolved and H. McLachlan & Co.,Inc. was incorporated.

MacLane

Mallory
Owned by the E. A. Mallory Company, Mallory Hats was one of the oldest hat-makers in the United States when the brand was sold to Stetson in 1946. The Mallory Factory in Danbury, Connecticut was in production from 1860 until 1969, when it was sold to the Danbury Hat Company which filed for bankruptcy in 1987.

Manhattan

Marathon - Made by Lee for J.C. Penney's.

Mayser
Founded in 1800 in Lindenberg, Germany, over the course of 200 years Mayser grows from a small hat-maker into a large hat factory with several production sites in Germany, and a safety technology division which is among industry leaders.

Melton

Merrimac

Meyer

Montecristi

Monterray

Morfelt
Established around 1879.

Mossant
The Mossant factory was in Bourg-de-Péage, France, and manufactured some of the finest hats in the early decades of the 20th century. The brand was considered the pinnacle in France but was also well-known in the United States for most of the twentieth century. The company was founded by Charles Mossant in the nineteenth century, and by 1929 more than 2,000 hats a day were being produced; half of them were directly shipped to the U.S. Mossant produced some hats for Mallory. Hat production ended in 1998.

Optimo

P. & C. Habig.
Austrian hat-maker founded by Peter and Carl Habig in Vienna in 1862 and still in production.

Palco

Panizza
The Panizza Headwear Company is among the oldest companies in Italy, having been manufacturing headwear since 1881 in Griffa.

Park Royal Hats (and Sportswear, Inc.)
Company incorporated in Maryland in 1957. Single location located at 3636-40 Woodland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21215. Primarily an import/export company. Sellers of Park Royal Hats, Timely Fashions, and Giorgio Brutini® Headwear.

Peschel

Pedigree

Perfect Hats
The Perfect Hat Company of New York was known for its slogan "Good as the Name".

Pilgrim
The Pilgrim brand had a long and successful life as a brand of Sears clothing for men, first appearing in 1905, and hitting its high point in the 1940s. Most Pilgrim brand hats were made by Lee for Sears, and the product line continued until 1964.

Portis
The Portis Brothers Company was founded by the Portis brothers in 1914, and was based in Chicago its first decade, but later moved manufacturing across the lake to western Michigan. The company made fine hats and did a lot of advertising in magazines such as Esquire and Colliers. Portis was taken over by Stevens Hats in the late 1960's.

Puerto Fino
Founded 50 years ago, this South American manufacturer is in Columbia and is still in business today.

Resistol
Founded in Dallas Texas by financier E.R. Byer and hat maker Harry Rolnick in 1927 the firm of Byer-Rolnick produced men's felt hats in Western and Dress stylings, under the newly created brand name "Resistol Hats," meaning to resist-all weather. Distribution was limited to Texas and Oklahoma initially, but by the late 1930's was nation-wide. Koracorp Industries, Inc., who owned Byer-Rolnick, bought out HCA Industries (the former Hat Corporation of America) in 1972.

Robert Hall

Rothschild

Royalist
High end hats, made in England.

Royston

Rundle & White
Established in the mid-1800s in Danbury, Conneticut.

Sarnoff

Scala
The brand is now owned by Dorfman-Pacific.

Schoble
Frank Schoble & Co was founded in Pennsylvania in the 1880s.

Scott

Selco
Founded in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, Selco traced its root back to 1799 and the Italian firm of Selentino. They manufactured hats (or had them manufactured under contract) into the 1950s, but are best known for marketing Tonak hats, made in the Czech Republic. There is still a Selco store in Brooklyn today.

Stetson, John B.
John Batterson Stetson was born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1830. His father, Stephen Stetson, was a successful hatter and taught his children the trade. Stetson developed tuberculosis as a young man, and moved west hoping to recover. He first settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, and later moved west following the Gold Rush to California, before finally returning to Philadelphia to try his hand at the hat manufacturing trade.
Stetson found the eastern hat market difficult, and so turned his attention to the Westerners marketing hats based upon styles he had seen and developed during his own travels. By 1872, he was also marketing dress hats in his own catalog, and by the turn of the twentieth century he had the world's largest hat factory.
Although John Stetson died in 1906, his company followed men's fashions into the twentieth century, manufacturing top hats, bowlers, homburgs, fedoras, and trilbys, as well as straw hats in both western and dress styles.
By the early 1950s, there were fewer dress hat wearers, and Stetson has since focused primarily on their western hats.
In 1971 Stetson sold its machinery to the Stevens Hat Company and ceased production of hats, concentrating instead on marketing, and outsourced its actual manufacturing.
In 1979 the Stetson name was acquired by Koracorp Industries, Inc.

Stetson, Stephen
Stephen L. Stetson was a grandnephew of John B. Stetson, and an independent hatter in New York City, during the first half of the 20th century. The John B. Stetson company eventually sued in January of 1934 and made a case for copyright infringement, from which point you see the notice “In no way related to the Stetson Hat Company of Philadelphia" on the company’s label.

Stevens
A small family-owned firm, the Stevens Hat Company was located in St. Joseph, Missouri. The company merged with HatCo’s Stetson division in 1984, and took over the production of Stetson Hats, most of which were still made in St. Joseph until HatCo moved all of its production to a new factory in Garland, Texas.

Sunfast
Located in Danbury, CT. Acquired by Cavanagh-Dobbs, Inc., in 1928.

Sunnington Hats
Philidelphia, PA

Supernatural

Swann

Tilly

Trimble
Located in Orange, New Jersey, the Trimble Hat Company was a popular hat manufacturing company during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. The company apparently produced a number of house brands for individual retailers, including the Stafford Club line of hats.

Van Dyke Custom Hatters
848 6th Ave. NY, NY.

Wasicka's
of Cudahy, Wisconsin.

Willoughby

Wormser
Wormser was considered a mid-range hat, though several were just as good as any vintage Stetson or Mallory. They had different levels of quality.

Worth and Worth
Founded in 1922. Worth & Worth Ltd., 331 Madison Avenue, New York.

 

[carter]

Great Idea!

Here's a chart I just threw together, but I think this is what we need on a website for all these companies, when we can tie them together. With the graphic, it's easier to visualize the relationships. Then you could click on each name and pull up these individual histories we've been compiling in a pop-up window or something, with links to photos of hats, advertisements, and so forth.

I don't know if MK would be interested in doing this on the FL or Golden Era websites, but if not, I'm going to have a website next year, and I'd be glad to host something like this.
Brad

I'd hoped this was where we were headed for a comprehensive database.

I've posted a newly-updated listing as well.

Carter

 

[johnnyphi]

Another brand for the list

Gents... Thanks again for your work on this list. It's extremely helpful.

I'm home in DC, now, and I found another brand for your list.

Park Royal

Here's a sample porkpie...

 

[carter]

Gents... Thanks again for your work on this list. It's extremely helpful.
I'm home in DC, now, and I found another brand for your list. Park Royal.

Company Incorporated in MD in 1957. Primary business is import/export. 1 location. 8 employees. Still in business.

Is there any information in the hat or on the box indicating country and date of origin?

 

[johnnyphi]

I'll check...

Company Incorporated in MD in 1957. Primary business is import/export. 1 location. 8 employees. Still in business.

Is there any information in the hat or on the box indicating country and date of origin?

I don't have the boxes for these hats, but I have quite a few of them, in felt and straw. It makes sense that they would be made in MD, since I found them in a shop north of MD.

I'll check inside the brims to see if I can find any clues about Park Royal.

 

[johnnyphi]

MacLane Hat

Friends... After quite a delay, I've been able to find a pristine MacLane hat for your review.

The lining says "MacLane Hats, New York". I can't find anything under the sweatband except the size/reorder label and the Union label. I can tell you that it's a beautiful blue/grey hat with a stingy 2 1/4" brim. (The size is 7 3/8, in case anyone is curious.)

 

[johnnyphi]

Royalist Hats: "Styled in the English Manner"

"Styled in the English Manner" is the term used in the lining, so I mis-spoke when I said these are made in the UK. Apparently, the company WISHED the hats were made in England.

So... where were these hats made?

Photos:

 

[Brad Bowers]

That MacLane is a nice-looking hat (and my size, too!), but 2 1/4" certainly isn't stingy. Looks lower-end to middle to me, but that's just the impression I get from the liner.

I looked up the Royalist trademark, and the closest thing I could find was the name registered to the Bodner Neckwear Company in Philadelphia, for neckties and men's hosiery. They filed for registration in 1961, but it had been in use since 1928. It's always possible that a hat company evolved into just selling neckties and socks, but we don't have enough information to know.

Both look like good vintage hats.

Brad