By Dennis Phillips

dphillips@post-journal.com

The 69th historical city marker has honored the legacy of one Jamestown’s furniture making entrepreneurs and inventors.

On Thursday, the Jamestown Historical Marker Committee, city officials and board members from the Winifred Crawford Dibert Jamestown Boys & Girls Club gathered to honor William J. Maddox. Maddox was an inventor and business entrepreneur who worked with five furniture manufactures before starting his own business in 1898. During Maddox’ career, he also was awarded 21 patents that revolutionized the wood furniture manufacturing business.

B. Dolores Thompson, city historian and chairwoman for the Jamestown Historical Marker Committee, said at the age of 14, Maddox quit school to go to work. In 1885, at the age of 29, he moved to Jamestown to start working in the furniture manufacturing business. By 1898, he broke ground on his own manufacturing business Maddox Table Co., which was once located along Harrison Street.

Thompson said not only was Maddox a smart businessman, but also quite an inventor. She said one of his inventions, the stroke polisher, led to making wooden table tops easier and quicker. She said prior to inventing the stroke polisher, most table tops were made out of marble.

However, after the invention, more and more tables had wooden tops. She added that Maddox also invented the first reclining rocking chair.

Along with making furniture, Maddox built buildings in Jamestown that still exist. Thompson said he built the Masonic Temple, which is on the corner of Third and Pine streets. He also built the Maddox Building, which is at the corner of Third and Main streets, which is the home of Jamestown Savings Bank. Maddox’s house is still standing and today is the home of the Winifred Crawford Dibert Jamestown Boys & Girls Club. The new historical marker is located outside of Maddox’s former home, where he died at the age of 80 in 1936.

Sam Teresi, Jamestown mayor, thanked Thompson and the Jamestown Historical Marker Committee, who continue to research history in order to provide information about the remarkable people who made Jamestown a great place to live.

”I want to thank Dolores for telling the stories of Jamestown’s past,” he said.

Teresi said people can find more information about the historical marker program and Jamestown’s past by visiting jamestownny.net and clicking under parks and recreation.