The village of South Egremont offers little evidence today that it was once an industrial center hosting a major manufacturer of carriage and wagon axles. In 1845 David Dalzell purchased a small wagon-making business and turned it into a world-renowned axle company, selling to such major carriage manufacturers as Studebaker. During the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition (World’s Fair) in 1876, the Dalzell Company boasted 35 different axle designs, including its newest “Centennial Axle,” guaranteed to operate for a full year without re-greasing. The photo shown above depicts the expansive axle factory circa 1900. The arrow points to the only building that still survives today.
The explosive growth of the automobile industry caught the Dalzell Company off guard. Although it made cranks and guiding axles for early automobiles, the company failed to realize how quickly cars would rule the road. Dalzell was unable to make the transition fast enough. As the demand for carriage axles dropped, cash flow dried up, and Dalzell was left in the dust. The factory closed in 1909, and most of the buildings were later torn down. The office building remains, as shown below, and is home to the South Egremont Spirit Shoppe and Devine Cannabis Dispensary and GBD Store.
