Lufkin Foundry and Machine Company
Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Chartered in 1902 as a repair shop and parts supply house for local sawmills, Lufkin Foundry & Machine Company was begun by J. H. Kurth, Frank Kavanaugh, Sr., Frank Kavanaugh, Jr., Eli Wiener and Simon Henderson. Later, under the leadership of W. C. Trout, the company ventured into the oil industry and manufactured the first enclosed geared pumping unit. In 1926, Trout patented a counterbalanced crank that improved the pumping unit and made a name for the company worldwide. In 1939 the company added industrial gears and truck trailers to its product lines. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in 1902 as a repair shop and parts house for the East Texas sawmills, the Lufkin Foundry & Machine Company was founded by J.H. Kurth, the Kavanaughs, Eli Wiener, and Simon Henderson. Under W.C. Trout the firm moved into the booming oil industry and built the first enclosed geared pumping unit; Trout's 1926 patent for a counterbalanced crank made the company's name known worldwide. By 1939 it had added industrial gears and truck trailers to its lines.
Why it matters
It shows how a local mill-supply shop grew into a global oilfield-equipment maker, a small-town emblem of the industrial ingenuity that powered the Texas oil economy.
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Related people
- · J.H. Kurth
- · W.C. Trout
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
W.C. Trout and the Counter-Balanced Pumping Unit
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W. C. Trout arrived in Lufkin in 1905 and joined Lufkin Foundry & Machine Co., steering the shop from equipment repair into manufacturing and sales. Already an inventor, in 1926 he patented a counter-balanced pumping unit that became a worldwide standard in the oil business. He eventually held more than 30 patents and served as company president from 1931 until his death in 1947, a stretch of major growth for the firm.
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