Washington Iron Works Inc.
Sherman, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1875 Solon Totten (1847-1932) made two horseback trips to Texas from Quincy, Ilinois, searching for better conditions for the family blacksmith business. Finding stage companies operating out of Sherman which required blacksmith services, he persuaded his father and family to move here. In 1876 Solon and his brother Levi Totten (1844-1915) opened "Totten Bros. Blacksmith" on Cherry Street. The business made wheels for freight wagons and stagecoaches and repaired the vehicles. L. L. Roussel, Adolph and Max Seisfeld, Noah Swain and Levi and Solon Totten were the original stockholders. The name changed in 1881 to "Washington Iron Works". In 1890 the firm moved to East Lamar Street and settled here. By 1893 the Totten brothers and their father Joseph (1821-1906) gained full ownership. It remains in the Totten family. After 1904 Solon operated the company with his sons Harry (1877-1964) and Jesse (1880-1946) until he retired in 1922. Harold Totten (1900-1969) ran the company with his father Harry after Jesse's death. The foundry section closed in 1938. During World War II, the shop made gun barrel molds. This industry, the oldest in Sherman, has expanded to a worldwide service for oil and gas processing, petrochemical plants, power generation and marine interests.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After two horseback scouting trips from Quincy, Illinois in 1875, blacksmith Solon Totten moved his family to Sherman to serve the stage lines running out of town. With his brother Levi he opened Totten Bros. Blacksmith in 1876, building and repairing wheels for freight wagons and stagecoaches; renamed Washington Iron Works in 1881, the firm made gun-barrel molds during World War II and grew into a global supplier for oil, gas, and power industries. It is the oldest industry in Sherman.
Why it matters
One family forge shows the through-line of American industry — from stagecoach wheelwrights to wartime production to a modern energy-services company — all on a single Texas street.
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Related people
- · Solon Totten
- · Levi Totten
Themes & tags
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