Resources
The Heritage Society houses several resources that are interesting to the casual observer and valuable to the researcher.
Our resources include:
· Stark County histories by H.T.O. Blue and E.T. Heald
· Ohio history books
· News clippings
· Atlases
· North Canton High School and Hoover High School yearbooks
· Old street directories
We also have a large collection of photographs from all periods and subjects, accessible by database in our office. We can search for names, places, and dates. All photo scans are for a one time use only and not for commercial purposes. Please inquire via e-mail or in person for more information.
A Short History of the Hoover Company in North Canton
1908-2007
The world-wide leader in the production of vacuum cleaners, the Hoover Company, started in a corner of a leather-goods manufacturing factory in New Berlin, now North Canton, Ohio in 1908, with a work force of six persons.
By 1977, the company employed over 27,000 worldwide, including factories in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Brazil and other countries. It not only made vacuums, but also had expanded into the manufacture of many small appliances.
The coming of the automobile at the turn of the 20th century led W. H. “Boss” Hoover to seek another type of manufacturing, since he could see that horse collars, the mainstay of his leather business, were becoming outmoded. Leather goods remained a part of the company, however, until 1919.
He found a local tinkerer/inventor, Murray Spangler of Canton, who had come up with a model of a “suction sweeper,” and the new business began in 1908 as the Electric Suction Sweeper Co., later the Hoover Suction Sweeper Co., and in 1922, just The Hoover Company. Its success was due to an exclusive feature, the beater bar that agitated the dirt from the carpet and led to the slogan, “It Beats As It Sweeps As It Cleans.”
A factory opened in Canada in 1911 and in 1916, the first distinctive red brick factory building was built, which still stands on the corner of North Main and East Maple. New factory buildings followed that design.
Following the wave of anti-German sentiment during World War I, The Hoover Suction Sweeper Company led the drive to change the name of its hometown from the German-sounding New Berlin to present day North Canton.
In 1921, the first Hoover International Sales Convention was held, with delegates from the U. S. and foreign countries flocking to North Canton for sales meetings at “Hoover Camp,” now Hoover Park on West Maple. Salesmen decked in colorful costumes and riding on floats were part of parades up Main St. Most Hoover cleaners were sold door to door at this time, so the conventions were a way to drum up enthusiasm. The last was held in 1954.
Boss Hoover’s son Herbert W., ran the company from its inception and became chairman of the board in 1932 after Boss’ death.
World War II saw the company devote its production to war work, including conversion of its plastic molding presses to making helmet liners, its sewing machines that made cleaner bags to parachutes for bombs, its motor manufacturing to making propeller pitch motors. Its most important product was the V. T. (variable time) fuse, which allowed a bomb to explode before it reached the ground, eliminating the need for direct hits. The company won many war production awards, including the coveted Army-Navy E.
Hoover quickly re-converted to peacetime production. After Herbert W.’s death in 1954, his son H. W., Jr. became President and expanded the company into other appliances and opened factories around the world. A new company, Hoover Worldwide, was formed in 1960 to manage these facilities. New buildings were added to the North Canton facility, including the building that is now the Altercare offices.
The Hoover Company always supported the community, including the construction of the first YMCA Community Building in 1923, and its foundations today still support many community activities.
In 1985, this family-run company was purchased by Chicago Pacific, and in 1989 by the Maytag Corporation. In 2007, after being purchased first by Whirlpool, and then by Techtronics Industries Inc. (TTI), production ceased at the North Canton facility. Hoover brand appliances continue to be made, however, by TTI at various plants around the country and the world.
In late 2007, Maple Street Commerce, a joint venture of International Realty Group (IRG) and DeHoff Realty, purchased the Hoover facility. The company plans to adaptively re-use the buildings for manufacturing, offices, housing and specialty shops.