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1913 BILLHEAD WICHITA KANSAS MORTON SIMMONS HARDWARE CO. MORTON SIMMONS WAS ONE OF THE BRANCH LOCATION OF E C SIMMONS HARDWARE, ST LOUIS MISSOURI
. E. C SIMMONS WAS AN ICONIC HARDWARE WHOLESALER OUT OF ST. LOUIS. THE WERE BY FAR THE LARGEST AND BEST KNOW ACCOUNT FOR MANY DECADES FROM THE 1800S TO MID 1900S. KEEN KUTTER/SIMMONS ITEMS ARE VERY COLLECTIBLE
- FAMOUS SAYING: "THE RECOLLECTION OF QUALITY REMAINS LONG AFTER THE PRICE IS FORGOTTEN"
- BRANCH WAREHOUSES: MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA, SIOUX CITY IOWA, WICHITA KANSAS, OGDEN UTAH, TOLEDO OHIO, NEW YORK
- W D SIMMONS: PRESIDENT
- G W SIMMONS: VP
- E H SIMMONS:VP
- C B HESTER: SECRETARY
- HARRY CEE : GENERAL MANAGER
- WRITTEN TO E A YOUNG, CARMEN OKLAHOMA
Edward Campbell Simmons wasborn in Maryland in 1839 and moved with his merchant father to St. Louis,Missouri in 1846 At the age of seventeen he began his career in the wholesalehardware business on the bottom rung of the ladder as a cleaner/stocker forChild Pratt and Company.
1859 he entered the firmWilson Levering and Waters as a clerk. This hardware business eventuallyevolved into E.C. Simmons and Co.
Hesuccessfully developed the Simmons Hardware Company into one of the mostextensive corporations of its kind with divisions in Wichita, Sioux City,Ogden, Toledo, New York, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. By the turn of the centurywarehouse space occupied over 1,500,000 sq feet. The company's tool plants werein New Hampshire, and its pocket knife plant in New York was the largest in theU. S. They had their own saddlery factories as well. Mr. Simmons retired fromactive participation in 1898, but he still took a great interest in thebusiness.
Simmons capitalized on theoverwhelming customer demand for his Keen Kutter items by using the KK formaton many different types of products. The Simmons line included King Koasterchildren's wagons; Klipper Klub ice skates; Korn and Koffee Krushers; KarpetKing sweepers; Kool King ice boxes; Klear Krystal lamp chimneys; Kar Kingaccessories; King Kord tires, Keen Klipper lawn mowers; even Klicher mousetrapsand locks.
Items stamped or labeledKeen Kutter or those from the KK line rank most popular with collectors,followed by those marked Simmons Hardware or S.H.Co. Many collectors includeitems from the company's registered lines such as Polly Prim, Run Easy, BlueBrand, Oak Leaf, Delmar, Sterling, American, Delft, Van Dyke, or Wonder.
It was noaccident that customers were impressed by the Keen Kutter line and asked for itby name. The company had a well-organized marketing strategy, unparalleled inits day. Simmons put its stamp on everything the retailer could possiblyrequire or use in his business.
The Morton-Simmons Hardware Company was a prominent wholesale hardware business tied closely to the Simmons Hardware Company, best known for its Keen Kutter brand. The name “Morton-Simmons” appears on the historic warehouse in Wichita, Kansas—now known as the Keen Kutter Building—which was constructed in 1905–1906 and served as a major distribution hub2.
This warehouse was a marvel of its time: it featured electric elevators, messenger call boxes, and a 20,000-gallon water tower for fire suppression. It held over 79,000 pieces of merchandise and was supplied by a spur of the Frisco Railway2. The building’s design was inspired by the Cupples Building in St. Louis and cost around $250,000 to build—a significant investment at the time.ORIGINAL, LETTERHEADS, BILLHEAD, BILLHEADS, HARDWARE. US ONLY PLEASE.
