There were only small, one man shops in Sidney by the 1850s. The first man to help direct Sidney down the path to an industrial powerhouse was Philip Smith (shown at left). He arrived from Dayton in 1859 after he had learned the trade of a molder. With his brother, Michael, he founded P. Smith Bro. & Co. They made plows, bells for churches and schools, kettles, steam engines, boilers, fire escapes, and many other iron and steel products.  Mr. Smith eventually bought out his brother. He purchased Sidney Hollow Ware in 1893 and expanded the business to make iron cookware, then known as hollow ware. In a few years, he added a line of aluminum cookware. This segment of the business grew rapidly.

Mr. Smith changed the types of products his company made to meet customer demands. He was making cast metal store fronts, grain cleaning equipment, copper tub wringer-washer machines, and milling machines by 1900. Philip Smith retired in 1907 after 48 years in the business. Further information on Mr. Smith can be found on page 668 of Hitchcock's "History of Shelby County".

A work crew is surrounded by scrap metal at the Philip Smith Company.

Industry segment written in January, 1998 by Rich Wallace

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