Stetson Employee Handbook

[buler]

Got around to scanning this today. A lot of the beginning is boring stuff like work hours, lockers, etc. I found it interesting that the history is more of the marketing "legend" history. Also I don't remember seeing that Emerson had been bought by Stetson.

B

 

[buler]

 

[buler]

 

[DJH]

That is brilliant - I have some reading to do. Thanks for scanning and posting!

 

[Lefty]

Thanks for this. Do you know when it was published?

It certainly is a lot of myth building. The entire time I was reading it, I was thinking about Disney's indoctrination of visitors, employees, and now, even residents.

Unfortunately, someone else might have had the dream first. According to this, Christy did it first. Unfortunately, the link is dead.

Here's a different link than the one I recall, with the same info.

 

[martinsantos]

Just loved this! Thanks for sharing! (and made me to want a Stetson!)

 

[jimmy the lid]

Thanks a million for taking the time to post this, buler. Fantastic stuff!!!

 

[buler]

Thanks for this. Do you know when it was published?

It certainly is a lot of myth building. The entire time I was reading it, I was thinking about Disney's indoctrination of visitors, employees, and now, even residents.

Unfortunately, someone else might have had the dream first. According to this, Christy did it first. Unfortunately, the link is dead.

Here's a different link than the one I recall, with the same info.

Sorry, found no date on it. It was after they acquired Mallory and after they started making the Stetson 100 (cover shot). Thats all the dating help there is.

I did find that David Harshaw was President of Stetson in 1957, but I haven't found how many years prior or after that he was Pres.

B

 

[carouselvic]

Harshaw was president from 1947 until 1966. Thanks Buler

 

[Lefty]

With the leaf in the crest and the style of boxes, I'm (really tentatively and loosely) guessing early/mid-50s.

 

[handlebar bart]

Wow, thanks for sharing this Buler. Priceless stuff. A spot to dance in the cafetaria during lunch hour.........

 

[jimmy the lid]

With the leaf in the crest and the style of boxes, I'm (really tentatively and loosely) guessing early/mid-50s.

As an aside, I'm wondering if the change in the crest to include the leaf wasn't a nod to the fact that Stetson had become a Philly/Brockville operation. Rank speculation, of course -- but, hey, that's what we do...

I tend to agree with your early/mid 50's assessment, Lefty. The Stetson 100 debuted in roughly 1951, the leaf in the crest appeared in roughly 1952.

If the handbook does date from that time frame, it also suggests that the less elaborate Stetson 100 boxes are earlier in vintage -- with the more elaborate Stetson 100 boxes dating from the late 50's on. Discuss amongst yourselves...

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Lefty]

I can't recall if you have dating info on that Philly box. Does that narrow it down?

 

[jimmy the lid]

Lefty -- the box you on page 32 appears to depict a church, but that is not the Independence Hall Philly box. In fact, I don't recollect ever seeing anything like the box that is featured in the handbook. [huh]

I cannot make out clearly what is on the boxes next to the "Shipping" text -- if it is the Independence Hall Philly box (there were two versions), it dates to the early 50's.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Effingham]

Thanks for this.

Dang.

I've just decided that my next hat is going to be a Stetson.

Thanks for that, too.


Tony

 

[Brad Bowers]

Thanks for posting this, buler. I really enjoyed reading it.

As to the Christy's story, I really question this, and am disinclined to believe it, for several reasons.

First, all of the references I can find on the Internet all either quote or paraphrase the EXACT same text. These studies that are cited seem to be nowhere to be found. We only have the word of "Bristol University lecturer John Moore," as quoted in the text. Even considering the relative obscurity of the story, statistically there should be other instances of this information outside of the context of this piece of text, and I can't find them. That right there sends up a red flag.

Second, in order for Christy's to have sued Stetson for patent infringement, Christy's would either have to have held a U.S. patent for their design, or Stetson would have to have been trying to penetrate the British markets, such as in the West Indies. I can find no record of a felt hat patent held by or assigned to Christy's in the U.S. I also highly doubt that Stetson would have been trying to break into the British markets in the early years. A patent for a style of hat would be a design patent, as opposed to a utility patent. Even assuming that Christy's held a patent in the U.S. at the time of Stetson's founding, design patents could only be protected for a maximum of 14 years. I don't know the period covered by British law at the time, but I'm guessing it was similar. Stetson would be too busy trying to build the national market for his hats, and probably would not have looked overseas. There is the Canadian angle, I suppose, and perhaps they are covered by British patent laws. International patent organizations to which the U.S. belonged weren't even created until the 1880s, long after the patent would have expired.

Third, I have my doubts that a design patent would have been issued by the U.S. patent office covering simply a wide brim and particular height of crown, and the same would apply to Britain. It's too generic of a patent. If that was the case, why didn't Lock & Co. sue Crofut & Knapp for infringement of the bowler? Was there even a design patent for the hat?

Fourth, I would think Christy's probably did not have market penetration in the U.S., particularly in the American West and South, which were Stetson's initial primary markets. Would they bother to fight the case otherwise?

The story raises many questions, too many for me to accept it at face value. While there may be some truth in there, it may be only a kernel.

To get to the bottom of this, I have e-mailed John Moore to find out more information. I'll let you know if and what I hear back from him.

Brad

 

[Lefty]

Great insights, Brad. I have looked for more information on this, but also came up empty. It will be very interesting to see what he has to say, if Moore responds.

 

[alanfgag]

How come History wasn't this much fun in school?
Great read, Buler... thanks for sharing.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Great insights, Brad. I have looked for more information on this, but also came up empty. It will be very interesting to see what he has to say, if Moore responds.

I'm hoping that since he'll respond out of professional courtesy, since we're both history professors.

One other thing I've yet to get verified is that John B. worked at Crofut & Knapp for a time prior to starting Stetson Hats. I've seen it mentioned in enough sources, most from the company itself, that I'm mostly convinced it happened, because the sources are public enough that the Stetson company would have squawked if it wasn't true. C&K was found in 1858 and Stetson in 1865, so that doesn't leave much time for it to have happened, factoring in the trip out west.

These formative years of the modern hat industry are fascinating, but frustratingly difficult to research.

Brad

 

[RBH]

Thanks!