The Rural Voice, 2019-03, Page 47 Some of the success for both these
companies in these early years was
because the American Civil War had
taken much of the agricultural
machinery production out of their
factories in order to produce war
materials. The Americans turned to
southwestern Ontario for much-
needed agricultural equipment in
order to work the land and produce
food. Interestingly enough, the
demand for labour-saving
agricultural equipment was fueled by
the lack of farm labourers. Large
numbers of young men left the farms
in Canada to take up the fight against
slavery with the Union army.
Under primitive conditions,
William Verity gained fame as he
produced quality steel agricultural
products. Shipments left Exeter for
other areas of Ontario, Quebec and
the western provinces as settlements
were established. With the
completion of the railway joining
British Columbia to the rest of
Canada in November of 1885, it
wasn’t long before the Verity
business needed more space to keep
up with orders.
In 1889, they chose a larger
property in Exeter. The Verity
business moved across the Ausable
River south to the corner of Main and
Wellington. The property included
the land which extended east to
Andrew Street. That same year they
shipped nearly 1,000 plows to
Western Canada. That figure
steadily grew as they concentrated
on manufacturing plows and tillage
equipment. Other companies like
Massey and Harris focused on
equipment for harvesting the crops.
By 1892, the business had become
the most important industry in the
entire area. Records show 250 men
were employed by the foundry.
Exeter council realized their
importance and had granted them
exemption from taxation in 1889
when they moved and expanded. The
Verity success story did not go
unnoticed. You can imagine how
disturbing the news was in 1892
when the announcement that the
Massey-Harris company had
purchased a 40 per cent interest in
the Verity business and the plan was
to close the Exeter plant and relocate
it. The Massey and Harris companies
had merged in 1891 and they made
enticing offers to Verity to
manufacture all of their plows in
Brantford. Massey-Harris would
then market the plows worldwide in
their expanded catalog of offerings.
Mr. Verity proposed that his firm
remain in Exeter but he was not
successful in his proposal.
Twenty-five thousand dollars was
raised locally and proposals to
approach the railroad to have a spur
line built to the factory along with
more tax exemptions failed to retain
the business. In October 1892, the
last 15 carloads of agriculture
machinery left the Exeter rail station
headed for Brantford, the new
location of the Verity Plow works.
With the relocation of the factory
more than 30 families left Exeter.
This in fact meant 150 people. It was
a huge loss for Exeter and area,
affecting the farming community, the
shopkeepers, the railway, the banks,
the schools and the churches. This
was not the end of the Verity
influence in the manufacture of
plows, but it was the end of their
history in Huron County.
Just to add some interesting
information, the following year
1893, Walter Massey travelled to
the Chicago World’s Fair with a
large display for the Ontario
agriculture building. Sixty different
implements made by Massey-Harris
and Sawyer-Massey were included.
Among the display of plows were 16
models of Verity plows. The famous
model No. 14 plow, which had been
given a gleaming gold plating for the
special occasion, drew a lot of
attention at the yearlong exhibition
which attracted millions of visitors
from around the world. What made
No. 14 so famous? William Verity
studied local farming conditions in
Canada's west and through his
studying he developed a special plow
to handle the tough prairie sod.
Verity No. 14 was the plow he
designed for that purpose and it was
by far one of their best-selling plows.
Great marketing at the World’s Fair
resulted in important brand
recognition and before long orders
were coming in from as far away as
Australia.
A monthly advertising handout
called “Massey’s Illustrated”
described the story of the Verity
addition to the Massey-Harris
business: “Probably there is no name
associated with the Canadian Plow
trade which is more favourably
known throughout the Dominion than
that of Verity – this is particularly
true in the Canadian North-West
where Verity plows have won a
reputation for excellence not
approached by that of any other
Canadian or American manufacturer.
The firm of W.H. Verity & Sons,
Exeter is in many aspects a
remarkable institution. A name
which becomes celebrated in
connection with a business enterprise
generally comes into prominence
through the efforts of one, or
possibly two or three individual
members of the family, but in the
case of the Veritys we find a father
and all his sons – four in number –
each actively engaged in the
business, doing his part to bring
Verity Plows to the present high
standard of excellence.”
The big move to Brantford to the
recently acquired and remodeled
J.O. Wismer factory would have
been exciting to be sure. The
building had been expanded and the
latest appliances for hardening and
tempering steel were put in place. A
private railway siding ensured the
raw materials could be easily
delivered to the factory. The rail spur
also meant excellent shipping
facilities. Without a doubt Exeter’s
loss was great, but a true Canadian
success story with beginnings in
Exeter is something to boast about. ◊
March 2019 43
Marvin L. Smith
B.Sc.F. (Forestry), R.P.F.
Farm Woodland Specialist
570 Riverview Dr.
Listowel, Ontario N4W 3T7
Telephone: (519) 291-2236