William Buck Stove Company
William Buck started making stoves in the 1850s at the Victoria Stove Works on Colborne Street. The company was incorporated as the William Buck Stove Company in 1897. William Buck died suddenly of heart disease on July 15, 1897. The factory relocated, first to the Brant Avenue and West Street corner and then to Elgin Street (Brantford Weekly Expositor, January 1, 1903). As well as stoves with brand names "Radiant Home" and "Happy Thought" they also manufactured heavy castings, furnaces, and gas ranges. The mounting department of the Buck Stove Works was destroyed by fire at a loss of approximately $75,000 (Brantford Expositor, May 6, 1920, p. 1). The McClary Company of London, Ontario purchased the plant in 1920 (Brantford Expositor, May 21, 1920, p. 1) and the factory became known as the Happy Thought Foundry Company. The Happy Thought Foundry was included when the McClary Company merged with the Thomas Davidson Manufacturing Company of Montreal and became General Steel Wares Limited. The Happy Thought Foundry Company closed at the end of 1931 when all manufacturing was moved to London, Ontario.
For more information:- Reville's History Volume 2 (p. 146 of PDF)
- Warner's 1883 History (p. 148 of PDF)
- Expositor October 1909 (p. 64 of PDF)
- Remember 1877-1977 (p. 36 of PDF)
