1881-1909, undated
85M-01-314-Z-F-0407
GUSN-365803
This collection contains trade ephemera relating to lumber, glass, machinery, paint, and other building materials for interior and exterior finishes. The bulk of the collection consists of advertisements, billheads, price lists, and trade catalogs for these building materials from companies located across the United States. The ephemera mainly dates from 1881 to 1909 but includes some undated material as well. The collection was compiled through the business operations of the E. & H. Sewall Lumber Co. of Livermore Falls, Maine; many of the items are addressed to the companys proprietors, Eugene and Howard Sewall.
trade catalogs
machinery
lumber
glass (material)
millwork
paint (coating)
building materials
roofing
blinds (coverings)
metalwork
price lists
billheads
paper (fiber product)
printing (process)
stonework
advertisements
trade catalogs
price lists
billheads
1.25 linear ft. (3 legal-size document cases)
An electronic finding aid is available through Historic New Englands Collections Access Portal. A paper finding aid is available in the Library & Archives.
Eugene Sewall was the maternal grandfather of the collection donors, siblings Barbara Mildram and Ratcliff Mildram.
EP010
E. & H. Sewall Company trade ephemera collection
1987
EP010
Collection of trade ephemera including advertisements, trade catalogs, billheads, and price lists, all relating to various building materials and/or interior and exterior finishes. Materials date from 1881 to 1909 and were compiled through the business operations of E. & H. Sewall Co. in Livermore Falls, Maine.
Gift
Gift of Barbara Mildram and Ratcliff Mildram, 1987.
Livermore Falls (Androscoggin county, Maine)
Anderson (Madison county, Indiana)
Auburn (Androscoggin county, Maine)
Beloit (Rock county, Wisconsin)
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)
Buffalo (Erie county, New York state)
Chicago (Cook county, Illinois)
Cincinnati (Hamilton county, Ohio)
Cleveland (Cuyahoga county, Ohio)
Columbus (Franklin county, Ohio)
Detroit (Wayne county, Michigan)
East Lyme (New London county, Connecticut)
Evansville (Vanderburgh county, Indiana)
Farmington (Franklin county, Maine)
Fitchburg (Worcester county, Massachusetts)
Fulton (Oswego county, New York state)
Harrisburg (Dauphin county, Pennsylvania)
Holyoke (Hampden County, Massachusetts)
Indianapolis (Marion county, Indiana)
Jersey City (Hudson county, New Jersey)
Louisville (Jefferson county, Kentucky)
Lynn (Essex county, Massachusetts)
Milton (Northumberland county, Pennsylvania)
Minneapolis (Hennepin county, Minnesota)
New York City (New York state)
Newark (Essex county, New Jersey)
Norfolk (Norfolk Indep. City, Virginia)
Oshkosh (Winnebago county, Wisconsin)
Oswego (Oswego county, New York state)
Philadelphia (Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania)
Pittsburgh (Allegheny county, Pennsylvania)
Rochester (Monroe county, New York state)
Saint Louis (St. Louis Indep. City, Missouri)
Salem (Columbiana county, Ohio)
Springfield (Hampden County, Massachusetts)
Syracuse (Onondaga county, New York state)
Washington (DC)
Waterbury (New Haven county, Connecticut)
Waterville (Kennebec county, Maine)
West Chelmsford (Middlesex county, Massachusetts)
E. & H. Sewall (Compiler)
trade catalogs
price lists
billheads
Sewall, Eugene, 1831-1906
Sewall, Howard, 1838-1924
E. & H. Sewall Lumber Co.
Acme White Lead and Color Works
Boston Plate & Window Glass Co.
Brockway-Smith-Haigh-Lovell Company
Foster-Munger Co.
Garry Iron Roofing Company
H.P. Page & Co.
Harrison Bros. & Co., Inc.
J.W. Bailey & Sons Co.
Massachusetts Real Estate Co.
Paine Lumber Co., Ltd.
Pierce Butler & Pierce Manufacturing Corporation
Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company
Radford Sash and Door Co.
Suess Ornamental Glass Company
Vacuum Oil Company, inc.
This collection is available for research.
The following conservation and preservation activities have been completed on this collection: Collection was rehoused. Staples and nails were removed when necessary.
Collection
85M-01-314-Z-F-0407
Accruals are not expected.
Materials are entirely in English.
Item identification. Box #, folder #. E. & H. Sewall Company trade ephemera collection (EP010). Historic New England, Library & Archives.
This collection was processed by Sophia Cos, Assistant Archivist, January-March 2025.
DACS-2nd edition
Architecture and architectural elements
Building materials
Furniture and furnishings
Interior decoration and finishes
The E. & H. Sewall Lumber Company was founded in 1850 in Chesterville, Maine, by brothers Eugene (1831-1906) and Howard (1838-1924) Sewall. The company was involved in the lumber industry and also manufactured doors, sash, and blinds. In 1880, the Sewall brothers moved their operations to nearby Livermore Falls. It was there that they expanded the companys purview into local real estate, purchasing land and financing the construction of a section of town called Sewall Hill. E. & H. Sewall Co. provided both the building materials for house construction (lumber, window glass, interior and exterior finishes) and the land itself to new Livermore Falls residents. E. & H. Sewall Co. continued operations into the 20th century, eventually evolving more fully into a real estate company under Howard Sewall following his brother Eugenes death in 1906.
Howard Sewall dies at Livermore Falls. (1924, June 16). Lewiston Evening Journal, p. 9.
The Late Eugene Sewall of Livermore Falls. (1906, December 12). Lewiston Evening Journal, p. 5.
Sturtevant, Reginald H. A History of Livermore Maine. Trafford Publishing: Bloomington, Ind., 2010, p. 211.
E. & H. Sewall Lumber Co. records, Coll. 2944, Maine Historical Society.
The collection is arranged in nine series alphabetically by subject as follows:
Series I. Glass
Series II. Lumber
Series III. Machinery and appliances
Series IV. Metalwork
Series V. Millwork
Series VI. Miscellaneous
Series VII. Paints and varnishes
Series VIII. Paper and printing
Series IX. Stonework
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact info@historicnewengland.org.
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