Kelley-How-Thomson Company records
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of certificates of incorporation and by-laws and a history of the company; minutes 1908-1910; titles, leases, deeds 1887-1959; contracts, correspondence and minutes; stock ledgers 1902-1913; financial statements and balance sheets 1919-1944, 1945-1957; personnel 1956; appraisal 1917; and one black and white photograph of the buildings.
Dates
- 1887-1957
Creator
- Kelley-How-Thomson Company (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use in the Kathryn A. Martin Library, Archives and Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.
Biographical / Historical
In 1873 R. A. Costello opened a tin shop on North First Avenue East. The tin shop burned and the business moved to Superior Street. Costello sold the business to his brother, J. J. Costello, but reentered the firm in 1887 and operated it as the J. J. and R. A. Costello hardware store for the next seven years. The Costellos bowed out in 1895 when controlling interest went to Mike H. Kelley and J. F. Killorin, Duluth lumbermen. They changed the name to Kelley Hardware Co. In 1902 D.W. How joined the company and the store name changed to Kelley-How. It was this organization that set up the Kelly-How-Thomson wholesale hardware company, operating the store as a retail branch. The retail store remained a unit of the wholesale house until 1928, when it was acquired by E. A. Bergeron and renamed Kelley-Duluth Hardware Company. Marshall-Wells bought out Kelley-How-Thomson in 1955 with Kelley-How-Thomson continuing under its own name as a subsidiary of Marshalls-Wells. In January 1958 Kelley-How-Thomson consolidated with Marshall-Wells, becoming Marshall-Wells-Kelley-How-Thomson. In December 1958 Coast-to-Coast Stores of Minneapolis bought Marshall-Wells-Kelley-How-Thomson Duluth Division.
Extent
1.50 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection consists of certificates of incorporation and by-laws and a history of the company; minutes 1908-1910; titles, leases, deeds 1887-1959; contracts, correspondence and minutes; stock ledgers 1902-1913; financial statements and balance sheets 1919-1944, 1945-1957; personnel 1956; appraisal 1917; and one black and white photograph of the buildings.
Physical Location
This collection is located at the University of Minnesota Duluth Archives. For more information about this collection or to make an appointment, contact us at libarchives@d.umn.edu or 218-726-8526.
General
This collection is owned by the Minnesota Historical Society, but is housed at the University of Minnesota Duluth Archives.
- Articles of incorporation Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Businesses Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- By-laws Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Contracts Subject Source: Local sources
- Correspondence Subject Source: Local sources
- Duluth (Minn.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Duluth (Minn.)--History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Financial records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Financial statements Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hardware stores Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Kelley-How-Thomson Company
- Marshall-Wells Company (Duluth, Minn.)
- Marshall-Wells Hardware Company (Duluth, Minn.)
- Minutes Subject Source: Local sources
- Photographs Subject Source: Local sources
- Retail trade Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Stores, Retail Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Wholesale trade Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Guide to the Kelley-How-Thomson Company records
- Author
- Finding Aid Authors: Staff.
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Collecting Area Details
Contact The University of Minnesota Duluth Archives and Special Collections Collecting Area
Kathryn A. Martin Library
University of Minnesota Duluth
416 Library Drive
Duluth MN 55812-3001
(218) 726-8526
libarchives@d.umn.edu