It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.

This week we continue to look at very old industries in Whitewater. This image is from around 1880 and is a view of the Winchester and Partridge Manufacturing Company that was located along Whitewater Street just north of the depot.

The Winchester and Partridge Manufacturing Company was a notable wagon manufacturer at the time this photo was taken. The company began in the 1850s as a foundry and plow manufacturer. Around 1865, the company began to manufacturer wagons, a successful venture that, in the 1870s, was making as many as 5,000 wagons a year. But, by 1890, wagon production was moving to larger factories in Wisconsin and the deaths of both Winchester and Partridge in 1892 resulted in the closure of the factory.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

(1664 ST, edited, Whitewater Historical Society)