The "Lancaster: City Of Locksmiths" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at old photographs of the city of Lancaster and discovered that Lancaster was home to 16 padlock manufacturers starting in 1879 when Edward T. Fraim, Parker K. Fraim and Miller W. Fraim, known as the Fraim Brothers opened Keystone Lock.  They established their lock company, also known as E.T. Fraim Company, on Park Ave., in the north-east section of Lancaster City.  

The Fraim Lock Company on Park Ave. in Lancaster, PA

 By the late 1800s they claimed to be the largest manufac- turer of locks under one roof in the world. About 1890 Parker and Miller left the company and formed Lancaster Silver Company.  E.T.'s sons Walter and Samuel entered into business with their father and took over the original busines when E.T. Fraim died in 1917.  Then in 1920 Samuel bought out Walter.  Within a year Walter purchased an interest in Slaymaker Lock, thus forming Fraim-Slaymaker Lock Company.  

One of Fraim Co.'s padlocks.

 Keystone Lock, the original name for Fraim Lock, was acquired by Safe Lock and Hardware Company in 1955.  Lancaster's largest and best-known manufac- turer of padlocks was Slaymaker Lock Company, located on North Water Street and later South West End Avenue.  Samuel R. Slaymaker founded the company in 1888 and developed a way to mass-produce high-quality padlocks at a reasonable price.  

Slaymaker Lock Co. on South West End Ave. in Lancaster.

 My wife's father, Charles Baker, was a life-long employee at Slaymaker where he was Personnel manager until his death in the late 1990s.  I had the chance to visit the company a few times when they were located on South West End Avenue.  Other well-known lock companies that called Lancaster home were Reese Padlock, General Lock Co., William F.H. Amwake, W.P. Wirth, Samuel B. Bitzer, Wm. W. Shallus, George C. Gompf, Grey Iron Casting Co. Ltd., Union Lock & Hardware, D.F. Buchmiller, Safe Pad Lock Works, Frederica C. Werner, Excelsior Lock Co. and various offshoots of some, if not all, of the previously mentioned companies.  So, what was the draw that made Lancaster the lock capital of the world?  Seems Lancaster had all the necessary natural resources and the nearby market.  

Slaymaker Lock Co. padlock.

 All the lock bodies were cast of brass which was made in the Lancaster area.  And, the Pennsylvnia Railroad was the largest in the country and happened to run through the center of the city of Lancaster.  Eventually Slaymaker, as well as just about every other padlock maker, called it quits.  In 1986 Slaymaker sold their building in Lancaster.  One of my former photography students, Eric Forberger, opened his commercial advertising and editorial photography studio on one of the floors of the old Slaymaker Lock Company.  I have made a few visits to his studio to see what he can do and found his studio amazing.  Although padlocks are no longer being made on South West End Avenue, taking photos of them still take place.  The history of the building still lives on in time, keeping the making of locks alive in a new way.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.