Back in 1881, Leighton G. Fullam, a Vermont farmer became interested in the lumber industry. He bought a large tract of land in Plymouth, now famous as the birthplace of Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States.
Fullam started up a sawmill on the property to make lumber from the trees he harvested there. In 1889, Fullam went from making lumber to making furniture from his lumber. He and his son, Herman, set up in a blacksmith shop near their home in Ludlow, not far from the sawmill. By 1892, the demand for Fullam & Sons rocking chairs pushed them to increase production and their facility. Seven years later, Fullam had a staff of 30 craftsmen who turned out 150-200 rocking chairs a day—an impressive number even by today’s standards, but even more so when you consider that these woodworkers did not have sophisticated machinery to help them meet their goals.
A craftsman, businessman, farmer, and visionary, Fullam was a unique combination of Yankee ingenuity and entrepreneurship. He identified opportunities and worked his way through challenges. He managed to start a business, make it grow, and find markets around the country when both advertising and shipping were quite a challenge.
I’m heading down to my workshop now to build a rocking chair for one of my customers. And I will channel the spirit of fellow Vermont furniture maker Leighton G. Fullam every step of the way.
