Slaymaker lock company

Slaymaker lock company is a manufacturer of locks founded in 1888. The company invented many unique inexpensive locks and were famous for their carded padlocks.

About the founder

The lock company was founded in 1888 by Samuel R. Slaymaker. Samuel R. Slaymaker got his interest in locks from working for the Pennsylvania Railroad as a civil engineer. He was interested with the railroad switch and signal locks and after a while he became familiar with them.

About the manufacturing plant

The Slaymaker original manufacturing plant was located on North Water St. in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, United States. Some of the first padlocks purchased from the original manufacturing plant were put in from the US Government and the Railroad companies wanting inexpensive locks.

History

In the early 1970s the American Home Products Corporation attempted to purchase the company from the Slaymaker family because of its steady growth. In 1975 the Ecko Housewares Division of American Home Products was successful in purchasing the Slaymaker lock company and made it one of its divisions.

In the 1980s the lock company suffered because the market had been flooded with cheap padlocks and the Slaymaker Lock Company was losing money. By 1986 the company officially decided to cash out and the company closed its doors at the manufacturing plant.