For decades, if you were looking for rakes, shovels, wooden grocery boxes or a host of other products, Rugg Manufacturing Co. on Newton Street in Greenfield was the place to go.
The Rugg company was started in 1842 when Amos Rugg began producing wooden hay rakes under the name of Rugg Manufacturing in Montague Center. The company moved to Newton Street after a fire burned the factory down in 1889.
Rugg Lumber, the lumber and hardware division of the business, opened in 1921 and became a separate company from Rugg Manufacturing in 1998. The lumber yard, also located on Newton Street, was huge, making it easy to find a vast variety of building materials.
Another lumber company, called Franklin County Lumber Co., was located on Hope Street, where the Salvation Army is housed today.
My mother told me often that as a young woman she worked as a housekeeper for Frank Rugg and his family on Orchard Street in Greenfield.
Frank and Clarence Rugg were part of the early team of managers for the two businesses. Later on, William and Alan got involved, too, as well as the Fitch family.
Being located on the west side of Greenfield, many of my relatives with the last name of Steiner all worked there to make beautiful rakes and shovels. My two uncles, Fritz and Jacob, worked their entire lives at the factory, and Jacob’s children were involved, too. Fritz’s son Fred, who was my godfather, worked there 57 years, retiring in 1977.
Rugg Lumber moved to West Hatfield in 2008, and after 124 years in Greenfield, Rugg Manufacturing Co. was moved to Jytek Industrial Park in Leominster by co-owners Robert Montolio and Edward Mazzaferro.
Thanks to the Rugg businesses, thousands of rakes and shovels were shipped from Greenfield by trains and trucks to stores all across America and no doubt overseas. The companies provided steady employment for plenty of residents, and are now a part of Greenfield’s history.
Robert Bitzer, 92, of Erving is a lifelong resident of Franklin County, having been born in Greenfield. His columns are inspired by extensive photo albums and thorough collections of correspondence he has compiled over the years.