Morton Machine Works was founded in 1939 by Arch Morton and his wife Margaret in Ferndale, Michigan. After quitting school at the age of 13, Arch Morton began working as an apprentice in a local machine shop in St. Catherine’s, Ontario. After their marriage, Arch and Margaret moved to several cities where he continued to work as a machinist and shop hand. These cities included Warren OH, Salem OH, Elwood City PA, and Meadville, PA …all before finally settling in Ferndale, Michigan.
Early in 1939, Arch and Margaret were approached by a neighbor, Glen Wright, who was part owner of Pratt-Wright Screw Product Company. He urged them to open a machine shop of their own and he promised to give them work from his company to help them get started. So, Arch quit his job as a machinist and he and Margaret opened up a small machine shop. They had no assets to fund the new venture, but they were able to borrow $648. from a local bank to buy second hand equipment that included a lathe, mill, drill press, shaper, and metal saw. The machines were moved into the garage and basement of their home in Ferndale, MI and the business began under the name “A. Morton.” That first year of operation the new venture saw sales of $5,076. The company was located in their home until 1942 when a new building was erected three blocks away and the business became known as Morton Machine Works.
In 1955 Arch and Margaret Morton sold the business to Brubaker Tool Corporation. Morton Machine Works was then relocated to central Pennsylvania and added to the existing cutting tool facility that Brubaker operated in Millersburg, PA.
In 1991, after many years of successful operation as a division of Brubaker Tool, Morton Machine Works was sold to Alvord-Polk Inc. Alvord-Polk had been familiar with the Morton product line over the years because it was located just two blocks from the Brubaker Tool facility. The Morton Machine Works product line today has expanded to include a wide variety of tooling components, handles, knobs, and fasteners sold to machine shops and original equipment manufacturers throughout the world.
Looking back over the 80+ years of history for Morton Machine Works, we are reminded of the humble beginnings and the challenges that faced Arch and Margaret. The foundation they built their company on was hard work, determination, and seeking to please the customer. It is a business philosophy that has served Morton Machine Works well through the years and one that we continue to embrace today.
