FE Thomas shop at 52 Center Street - Brewer

[Woodlakejag]

And I can’t help myself but throw in my two cents regarding T&E. Other threads explore the topic so I won’t rehash everything, but most of the evidence points to Edwards not arriving in Maine until after 1900. He probably worked for Thomas on occasion but the partnership never happened the way Thomas envisioned it and there’s no evidence that Edwards made a full return to rod making until at least 1916.
Charlie did a great job laying out the historical record in the Thomas book (which I had a chance to read thanks to the Bangor public library), and Jeff Knapp has detailed the current knowledge of T&E in previous threads.
My guess is that Thomas moved out of 52 Center because his friend Billy Edwards never joined him at the new rod factory the way he had hoped and FET no longer needed the large space. Maybe it was a miscommunication or maybe Thomas was just assuming Edwards would join him full time. Either way, it’s a bit sad, and I imagine FE was disappointed, but as we all know these things happen in life and he likely forgave his friend and moved on.

My opinion of EW Edwards is that he was a reluctant rod maker. He probably didn’t like the monotony of it or the labor of it. Architecture and photography were his preferred professions and rod making came into the picture only when he needed it for financial reasons. Fred Thomas, on the other hand, was (like Jim Payne)..all-in, a lifetime dedicated to the craft.

I don’t think Edwards made many rods in Brewer and probably just assisted Thomas on occasion when he needed the work. He started building more when he started making rods for A&F. I believe these were the rods that got him noticed by Winchester.

I will ruffle some feathers with this next statement, but the idea that Edwards discovered tempering cane with a flame in Brewer isn’t supported by evidence. I have yet to see a Brewer stamped rod that is flamed. The darker rods that are attributed to the Brewer era were, in my opinion, made at Filbert Street post-Winchester.

I believe Edward’s biggest changes in rod making didn’t happen until he left Winchester. Rod sales were up in the 20s and he had good reason to keep making rods and to distinguish himself from Winchester, who continued to make the rods he designed. So he started hand signing rod shafts at Filbert street and shortly after created a bakelite winding check and new ferrule design.
The 7 ft 2/2 rod by Winchester was particularly popular at this time (according to SGH…and if you’ve cast one you won’t be surprised by this), which is why the only trade rods made at Filbert St that Edwards felt the need to sign were the 7 ft 2/2 being made for A&I.
This is the sequence of events that makes the most sense to me and is supported by the rods and evidence I’ve seen. I’ve heard of signed Brewer and Winchester era rods but I’ve never seen one and my hunch is that they are actually later rods that are getting misattributed to the Brewer era.
George

[canesterdf]

Thank you for sharing all this great info and pics of the buildings. George I hope you can use the treasures you saved from the old building ! Hatch that is one special Dirigo rod and the reel is a really beautiful addition. I have never seen a clearly marked Thomas Brewer rod, yours is the first, though I have seen 2 marked EWE Brewer rods. one had a stamp, the other was hand engraved in script. The very Best to you all in your collecting and fishing. Paul
PS I edited for clarity.

[hatch]

You can see on the pix of the Thomas "Brewer" rod that some wraps have been redone. Well, to bring the story of that rod around full circle, I took it to the F.E. Thomas Rod Company, Brewer Maine (Steve Campbell) to have the work done. Where else? The current F.E.Thomas shop is a couple of miles up the road from where this rod was originally made. The reel is a "Philbrook & Paine Makers Pat Apl'd For" made across the river from Brewer, in Bangor, about fifteen years before the Brewer rod was made. But you knew that.

[thomasrodco]

You can see on the pix of the Thomas "Brewer" rod that some wraps have been redone. Well, to bring the story of that rod around full circle, I took it to the F.E. Thomas Rod Company, Brewer Maine (Steve Campbell) to have the work done. Where else? The current F.E.Thomas shop is a couple of miles up the road from where this rod was originally made. The reel is a "Philbrook & Paine Makers Pat Apl'd For" made across the river from Brewer, in Bangor, about fifteen years before the Brewer rod was made. But you knew that.

If anyone is ever in Bangor, and would like to stand in the space where Ed Payne and Francis Philbrook made those amazing reels, it is right in the center of downtown Bangor, at 18 Broad Street. The shop was at 18 Broad Street, Upstairs.
There is a great restaurant/pub on the first floor called Blaze. They have an event room upstairs, and I'm sure they will let you go up.
I always picture being back in time 120+ years when I'm at Blaze, or when I drive by either of the original Thomas shops.
I'm a pretty lucky guy to be able to have my shop only 3/4 of a mile from the original Thomas shop, and just over a mile from the Park St shop...

[jeffkn1]

If anyone is ever in Bangor, and would like to stand in the space where Ed Payne and Francis Philbrook made those amazing reels, it is right in the center of downtown Bangor, at 18 Broad Street. The shop was at 18 Broad Street, Upstairs.
There is a great restaurant/pub on the first floor called Blaze.

For some period of time, the first floor was the shop of Evan H. Gerrish, canoe maker, former guide, and sometime employee of Hiram Leonard. The storefront next door was the office of Henry Merrill, slate dealer and fly fisherman.

[cwfly]

and rod maker.

[jeffkn1]

Oh. That too!

[thomasrodco]

Wow, I never knew that!

[Short Tip]

The Gerrish canoes are truly something to see. Ev Gerrish was the first to sell Canvas Covered Cedar Canoes Commercially, though he wasn't as good at alliteration as I am. Though later eclipsed by other competitors, he was the Ed Payne of wood and canvas canoes.