Grayson County TXGenWeb

Denison Foundry and Machine Works

When he moved to Denison in 1880, George E. Knaur Sr. worked as a farmer. By 1887, however, he had formed a partnership with George B. Rogers (possibly born in Canada in 1845) to create the Denison Foundry and Machine Shop at 415-417 West Chestnut St.


George E. Knaur Sr.	Advertisements for Denison Foundry Works, 1887 Denison City Directory.

Four years later, in 1891, the business belonged to Knaur & Son (George and William Elbridge Knaur). George died in 1892.

In 1896, William Elbridge had joined with Henry G. Howe (1854–1931) to form Knaur & Howe, owners of the Denison Foundry. In 1901, the business was described as "foundry and machine shop, boilermakers, repairs, manufacturers of brass and iron castings."

1909 Denison City Directory
Owners: William E. Knaur and Henry G. Howe.

Plaque
Denison Foundry and Machine Shops
413–417 West Main Street
Denison, Texas
W. E. Knaur, Pres.

Photo by Brian Christopher Hander and Rachel Willis, July 2010
Used by permission.

Henry G. Howe died in 1931, but apparently his widow, Louise Howe, inherited his interest in the company. Knaur & Howe, machinists, operated in the same Chestnut Street location through 1934, the year William died. That year its address was 413–417 West Chestnut Street.

Biography Index