Thursday, November 19, 2009

Thursday Review: Thomas Chubb Web Site

Thursday Review: Thomas Chubb Web Site

I normally don't review web sites that don't focus on fishing and fishing history, but I did want to bring to the attention of the fishing world the nifty page put up by the Thetford Historical Society on Thomas Chubb, the legendary Post Mills, Vermont rodmaker from the Victorian era.


What they've done is put up and incredibly details--and accurate--history of this most fascinating individual. Chubb was a Confederate Civil War veteran who formed one of the most important rod manufactories in American history. He was a pioneer in mass advertising and the major employer in the area. Both men and women were responsible for working the factory floor.

The factory burned tragically in 1891, and as legend has it, the next morning Leander Bartlett of the Montague City Rod Company was standing over the smoking ruins and offering to buy the remnants and name from Chubb. He (reluctantly?) agreed and Montague rebuilt the factory, retained the name, and continued making Chubb products until the 1920s, even offering separate catalogs.


Thos. Chubb factory, as shown in numerous advertisements.

This museum web page is a model of how such a historical overview should be done. Attractive, informative, and showing off the museum's collection, it is a terrific addition to our body of knowledge on early rodmakers.

-- Dr. Todd

No comments: