An undated photograph of a truck belonging to one of John B. Lesher‘s manufacturing enterprises, Williamstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The driver is identified as “Butch” Mace.
The story of John B. Lesher, adapted from the Williamstown Sesquicentennial Book, is told below:
John B. Lesher was born in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania, in 1868. He came to Williamstown and began his first business there on the site of what later was the J. W. Durbin and Son General Store. After selling the business to Durbin, Lesher left Williamstown for a few years.
In 1908 he returned and joined in establishing the Unrivaled Hosiery Mill. According to a July 31, 1908, newspaper clipping,
Last Saturday a charter was issued for the establishing in Williamstown of a plant entitled Unrivaled Hosiery Mill. The capital stock is $15,000 and the incorporators are John B. Lesher and George B. Mellon, Williamstown, and Salom R. Bausher of Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
The factory was started in 1909 and was located on South Tunnel Street next to the railroad tracks. It included a three story building 40 x 90 with an additional room 28 x 30 for boiler use.
The building was of brick and fully equipped with all the latest appliances including dressing rooms, toilets, elevator and station sealer. The business operated with S. D. Bausher as president, J. B. Lesher as secretary and treasurer, and L. Pritchard as overseer of the building. It was to have an output of from 500 to 700 dozen pairs of socks per day. Later Lesher built a branch of this business at Tower City.
In 1913 Lesher promoted the Best Stock [Bestock] underwear plant at Tower City. Under the executive direction of John B. Lesher from 1908 the business flourished and in the mid thirties his son J. Lee Lesher became chief executive.
The peak employment was 200, mainly women. Mens hosiery was produced until the late fifties. Thereafter, boys and misses were also produced. Most of the town people purchased their socks and underwear thru the mill.
The products were sold to major chain stores, wholesalers and chain department stores nationwide. The members of the Lesher family were majority stockholders throughout the entire life of the company.
John B. Lesher graduated from Kutztown State Norma School and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.
In 1896, Mr. Lesher married Lavina M. Crook, the daughter of Stephen Crook and Rebecca Crook of Williamstown.
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Information and photo from the Sesquicentennial History of Williamstown and Williams Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, published in 1976. For availability of copies of this book, contact the Williamstown and Williams Township Historical Society, 115 W. Market Street, Williamstown, Pennsylvania 17098.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.