Ashton Valve Company

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Wheel Press gauge #2
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Trade shows have been around for a long long time. They are still the best way to show new product, connect with ones customers, and check out your competition. Almost everyone has been to a flower show, travel show, steam shows, etc. The Ashton Valve company participated in many shows each year. And a few World Fairs too. Here is an overview of some of the shows the Ashton Valve company were part of.

First brief history of the Trade Show.
https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/promo-university/history-of-trade-shows.htm
https://www.applerock.com/blog/post/history-trade-show-industry-first-trade-show

Most shows were held yearly at different cities. Below is a small list of some of the trade shows Ashton Valve attended.
Mass charitable mechanic association, Boston 1874
cincinnati Industrial expo 1881
national expo of railway appliances , chicago 1883
International maritime expo ,Boston 1889
Columbian Expo (world's fair) Chicago 1893
Paris expo, France 1900
Supply mens association convention, Boston 1902
Universal Expo (worlds fair) St. Louis 1904
National association of stationary engineers, Richmond 1904
International railway congress 1905
National engineer convention, Niagra Falls 1907
Air brake association convention 1917
International Textile expo Boston 1921
National exhibition of power and mechanical engineering, NYC 1922

The list goes on and on.... Next I'll highlight some of the shows that I was able to get pictures of Ashton Valve display booths or awards they received.
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What better way to make a gauge easier to read in a dark boiler room than to illuminate it? I found one from around 1900 where the bulb was fixed behind the gauge, not always practical. Here's what Ashton Valve came up with.
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The 1920 catalog included a few pages explaining the reasons that the Ashton pop safety valve was superior to it's competition
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I love the old pre 1900 advertisement art. Besides some beautiful fonts used for the lettering you can get a god look at many of the other products being advertised. A bit of a time capsule.
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In 1900 The US was negotiating trade treaties with other countries, including France, to reduce the tariffs and sell more US goods overseas. Many US firms contacted the President, McKinley, to express their support for a new treaty. Ashton Valve was one of them.

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An old advert from an 1894 periodical "Around the Lakes". It was put out by the Detroit Drydock Company , a ship building company from around the turn of the century. Here is some information about the company.Henry Ford worked there when he was 17.





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A beautiful restoration of an Ashton gauge by Colonial Instruments Inc in Nashua, New Hampshire. By Brian Carmona
 

Attachments

  • Ashton Valve Pressure Gauge Restoration.pdf
    4.5 MB · Views: 320
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