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Long Wagon Works

The Bloomsburg and Sullivan Railroad laid its last rail into Benton in 1887 and the local economy took a giant step forward. Because of poor roads in and out of Benton before the arrival of the railroad, successfully owning a business in the town prior to 1887 was difficult and frequently resulted in disastrous results. An example was a wagon-manufacturing business established by N. P. Moore in 1848. From sketchy reports of the business, the primitive conditions under which the wagons were made hardly permitted it to be called a thriving business. Wagons were produced at the Moore plant from 1848 until 1862. The Appleman Wagon Works operated for a time on Fifth Street, which was then called Railroad Street. This article is about the third of the wagon manufacturing companies in Benton, the Long Wagon Works.

After the arrival of the Bloomsburg and Sullivan Railroad, commerce into and out of Benton improved greatly. Of course it depends on your definition of "successful," but local businesses included the planing mill of Wesley & Smith, John Mather's flour mill, and the shirt factory owned by J. D. Sallade. During this time, the Benton Store Company was in full swing, and other merchants included names we recognize today, including R. T. Smith, T. C. Smith, W. A. Butt, C. A. Edson, Max Herr, Keller & Conner, Ray Keeler, Pennington & Seely, George Yost, Ash's Green and Flower House, and other small industries like the Long Wagon Works.

Ash's Green and Flower House, Harvey R. Ash, Prop'r., Benton

From a H. A. Kemp photo of May 24, 1907, and used by permission of Doris Harvey



"Oat" and "Fruit" Long, known as O. M. and J. F. Long

The Long Wagon Works was established in 1874 in New Columbus by O. M. and J. F. Long, known by their friends as "Oat" and "Fruit. Years later, J. F. Long's obituary noted that the Longs had come to Shickshinny shortly after the civil war "and worked with Webster Remaley and Miner Brown; later starting a shop of his own (in New Columbus) on lot now owned by Harry Palmatier." The business occupied two buildings across from the church in New Columbus on The Old Tioga Turnpike, just east of "downtown." At that time, the street was called Main Street.


Looking East on the Old Tioga Turnpike, New Columbus. The Long Wagon Works occupied the two buildings on the right. The Church yard is behind the stockade fence on the left of the picture. Oat lived further down the road on the right, and his brother lived in the house on the left

The buildings are now both gone, but the adjacent houses the brothers lived in are still there and occupied. The brothers combined their talents to produce "sturdy farm wagons which were well accepted in the area," according to a newspaper article. Oat was a skilled wood worker and wheel-wright and using local timber fashioned the wooden parts for the wagons. Fruit was a blacksmith and iron worker and produced the metal parts. In 1880, O. M. married and "built his bride a fine house next to the location of the wagon works." About 1908, the partnership dissolved when O. M. Long moved nine miles to Benton to build wagons, partially in response to John G. McHenry's urging. Wagons were very much needed by local farmers to haul rye to the Rohr McHenry Distilling Company. Like the business in New Columbus, the name Long Wagon Works was used. J. F. stayed in New Columbus for the rest of his life, even after his wife passed away, no longer making wagons but self-employed as a blacksmith. Art Hayman, who will be 87 January 25, 2003, a former resident of New Columbus now living at Lake Pinecrest, loves to reminisce about the blacksmith shop in New Columbus. He loves to talk about his grandparents, George and Alice Doty, who later lived in the house that Oat lived in when he lived in New Columbus. Quoting from a newspaper article, Art talked about "the pile of soft coal which was used in the forge. There were also various pieces of junk, it wasn't junk to him, various wagon parts and stuff stashed along in the front. On the far side to the south was the forge, it was of pretty fair size. In my time it was hand powered. He used to get us boys to turn it for him when he would get tired. In the back was an assortment of parts, iron, bolts, and you name it, stacked against the wall. J. F. was a handy blacksmith, and he could make or fix just about anything that was made of iron. Of course, much of his time was occupied shoeing horse." And according to Art Hayman, that is what split up the partnership in the first place. Fruit liked being a blacksmith, but it got in the way of making wagons with Oat. Although they remained friends and did enjoy playing practical jokes on each other, they never again worked together. In 1909, the Long Wagon Works opened in Benton following some prodding to do so by John G. McHenry, in a building beside the railroad tracks, on Market Street. The move to Benton in 1909 came at a time when population in the town was declining from population figures of only a few years previous. In 1910, for example, the recorded population of Benton Borough was 719, while in 1890 it had been 1,252.

The firm, like so many others in Benton, did poorly following the failure of the Rohr McHenry Distilling Company. Companies that went under during that period included the Benton Electric Light, Heat & Power Company; the Sentinel Printery, Bloomsburg; and Hummer & Yorks Lumber company, Elk Grove. The company did survive that period, and reached a level of success. The John Eves Wagon Works, Millville, was the largest in the area, but the Long Wagon Works was clearly second in size.

The only product they turned out during the early years was farm wagons. All of the iron and the wood work was done in Benton. Even the timber used in the production came from Benton. The History of Columbia County recorded that the "wagons are in many respects superior to those of larger factories, all of the woodwork being bent, instead of sawn (sic)." Tax records indicate that the establishment was valued at $10,000 and an average of 12 workmen were employed at any one time.

		One of the first fire trucks owned by the Benton Volunteer Fire Department, manufactured by the Long Wagon Works.

O. M. Long had four children, Sheldon Carl, Stanley, Lena Zell and Ruth.

Pictured here are Ruth E., Sheldon, Carl and Lena Zell.

Photo courtesy of Sheila Brandon, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~lowerluzernecounty/longwagonworks.htm

Stanley P. Long eventually became the proprietor. Sheldon did the detailed painting of the wagons, and at one time lived in the house now owned by Mrs. Florence Kocher on Market Street. Carl and Florence Kocher purchased the house from Sheldon Long in 1945.

Stanley and Ruth Long

Stanley eventually became the owner of the Long Wagon Works

Photo courtesy of Sheila Brandon, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~lowerluzernecounty/longwagonworks.htm


		The former home of Postmaster Dan Hartman on the left and the home of Carl and Florence Kocher on the right. Both houses were across Market St. from the Long Wagon Works.

Interestingly enough, wagons were pulled up a ramp to the second floor for painting. Zell, physically handicapped since she was about 12 years old, lived the first house west of the main building. Zell had fallen from a wagon in New Columbus when she was about 12, and had been dragged under the wagon. She remained disabled the rest of her life.

In the later years of the business in Benton, the company manufactured a wide variety of wagons, including wagons for meat, milk, ice, and farm produce. They also produced sleds and wooden school bus bodies. Benton Joint School in 1929 owned four buses whose bodies and seating arrangements were made by the Long Wagon Works. The buses were mounted on Chevrolet truck chassis, with two assembled by J. Paul Laubach. William Fritz and Howard Welliver assembled the other two, and William Fritz owned one of the buses and operated it for many years. The bodies were made of wood. Windows used ordinary glass for windows even though laminated safety glass was available for automobile windshields use in 1927. The windows were latched to drop in for ventilation. The door latches were similar to latches on cupboards. Each of the four buses carried about two dozen students.

A Long Wagon Works Wooden Bus, from 1929. This bus was one of four known to have been built.

Photo courtesy of Dr. and Mrs. Donald Rabb

This photo came from the collection of Long Wagon Works photos, but the location of the picture is not known.

The spelling of the "Buss" company is interesting...

Photo courtesy of Sheila Brandon

The school-bus business did not sustain the wagon works and it eventually closed. Howard Dildine purchased the building in 1940 and it operated as a Grange League Federation (GLF) store. In 1964, Bob and Eleanor Sands purchased the building and used it for storage until 1974 when the building was remodeled. Part of the building was then used as a pharmacy for approximately 15 years. The building is currently used as an apartment, with a printing company and a garage also housed in the building.

John Fruit Long was ninety when he died at his home in New Columbus borough. He had only retired as a blacksmith a few years previously and was active as a smithy late in his late eighties. He was a member of the Methodist Church of New Columbus. His wife had died many years previously. He was survived by his brother, O. M. Long, Benton, and a grandson Carl Zimmerman, Berkley, CA. The funeral services were held in the New Columbus church, interment was in the cemetery adjoining. Notes from his funeral showed that Mr. Long "shortly after the civil war came to Shickshinny and worked with Webster Remaley and Miner Brown; later starting a shop of his own on lot now owned by Harry Palmatier."

The craftsmanship and quality of the work that these two brothers accomplished together is truly remarkable. Some of their accomplishments are shown in the following pictures, used with the permission of Sheila Brandon, Broadway, and Dr. and Mrs. Donald Rabb, Benton. This article was based on an article by Sheila Brandon on her web site, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~lowerluzernecounty/ , and any part duplicated here is done with the gracious permission and concurrence of Ms. Brandon.

Notice the ornate lettering on the wagon. All of the lettering was added by taking the otherwise completed wagon to the second floor via a ramp.

Photo courtesy of Sheila Brandon

A basic wagon chasis could be made into a wagon for ice, meat, food or other use.

Photo courtesy of Sheila Brandon