Oakcraft brand, Ramsey-Alton Manufacturing Co.

Looking for any information I can find regarding this company. All I know is they were in business from 1905-1915. I have a rocking chair from them of standard design with mixed straight grain and 1/4 cut chunks but it does have nice pegged post tenons and long corbels - very good overall condition with nice replaced leather spring seat. It's no Stickley but any idea of value range for this maker???

I have an Oak Craft footstool in mint condition with original leather. Very well made and interestingly signed no less than four times with the burned-in mark. There is a wastebasket shown in Don Marek's Arts & Crafts Furniture Design book. Marek dates the company to 1904, but little other info. Portland, Michigan is between Grand Rapids and Lansing.

Matt

i have a rocking chair with the same stamp. have you found out anything yet? i've been able to find very little information. thanks, michael michaelknebel@excite.com

I've sent the following email off to the Grand Rapids Public Library (formatted differently as a table which doesn't copy/paste properly here). Apparently there was a Journal started about 1900 called the "Grand Rapids Furniture Record" and there are a few columns in the 1911-1914 issues, regarding Ramsey-Alton. We'll see what happens and if I get a response - fingers crossed.
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Greetings,

I’m trying to research the Ramsey-Alton Mfg. company and found your very interesting website reference to the Grand Rapids Furniture Database and would be very interested in obtaining the relevant information from the “Grand Rapids Furniture Record” pertaining to this company, as highlighted below.

http://www.grpl.org/collections/grhsty_spcoll/furniture...ture_record_r-t.html


MAIN_ENTRY
NAME
TITLE
SOURCE
DATE
YEAR
PAGE
COLUMN

Ramsey-Alton Mfg. (Portland, MI)

Durable, like its products
GRF
04/01
1912
911
2

Ramsey-Alton Mfg. (Portland, MI)

New style made a hit
GRF
12/01
1911
176
1

Ramsey-Alton Mfg. (Portland, MI)

Modified Mission living room suite (art)
GRF
09/01
1914
192
1

Ramsey-Alton Mfg. (Portland, MI)

Library and den furniture (art)
GRF
06/01
1914
378
1

Assuming this is only a few pages from the original journals, would it be possible to scan this material and email it? If this is a service that requires a fee please let me know. If this is not a service you provide at this time, thank you anyways for at least having this reference on the web.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

I received a reply from the Grand Rapids Library to confirm they have this information, so hopefully it should be forwarded soon - stay tuned.

I received a nice package of information in the mail today from the Grand Rapids Public Library per my request and their reply noted above. Included were a few photocopied pages from their microfilm versions of the Grand Rapids Furniture Record, with available information pertaining to the Ramsey-Alton Mfg. Co. Copied below is the pertinent information. I retyped the articles in their entirety, complete with unique use of the English language - words like “builded”, and I scanned the pictures (so keep in mind, the scans are of photocopies of a microfilm of the original journal – not bad considering!).

The information provides an interesting glimpse into the life of this company. Apparently they were out of business by 1915 (based on other references I have) so I guess their factory expansion was no big help, and I guess they did not successfully change their style to suit changing tastes, like so many other companies of the day. The picture from June 1914 shows a floor lamp on the right and I believe it’s a Limbert, so they were keeping good company it appears. The picture from September 1914 shows something different, “Modified Mission”, as they label it. It appears to be fabric covered panels on each of the pieces. I can’t say I have seen a surviving piece of this style, from any company.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

From the: The Grand Rapids Furniture Record

December 1911

New Style Made a Hit

Just one year ago the Ramsey-Alton Mfg. Co., Portland, Mich., made a marked change in the cushions used in their Mission line of chairs, rocker, and settees. Previous to this time they were using the loose cushion on both slats and springs, but with the beginning of 1911 they dropped all patterns of loose cushions and came out with their line fitted in the very best type of removable spring seat.

While the company had anticipated better satisfaction with the new style, they did not look for the great increase in business which this change in seat has produced. The seat made a hit with all who saw it and with new designs added in January, their line was recognized by all who visited their show rooms as one of the very strongest Mission lines on the market.

The praise of the line by those who visited them was not idle words, because they backed their assertions with orders, and as the business has increased over 40 per cent in the last year, the Ramsey-Alton Company are now planning to either build a large addition on their present plant at Portland, or to move to Chicago Heights and there build a modern building with all modern improvements and sufficient room to take care of their increasing business.

Surely the modern factory building will be in keeping with the progressive spirit as exhibited by this company. The new designs which they are constantly adding and the reputation which they have builded as a company who furnish durable and well-finished Mission furniture has placed the Ramsey-Alton Mfg. Company of Portland as a leader in Mission styles and finishes.

April, 1912

Durable, Like Its Products

The makers of the trade-branded line of “Oakcraft” furniture, the Ramsey-Alton Mfrg. Co., are building a new factory building, 60 X 150 feet, four stories, at Portland, Mich. Having in mind the character of the output – the durability of the “Oakcraft” line – Manager Ramsey designed the new factory on equally permanent lines. It is of concrete construction throughout, floors and roof. Well-built as is the Oakcraft furniture, it is not immune from fire – the only element that can “get its goat”, as the language of the street has it. The new Oakcraft factory is builded to endure – even a sirge by flames. With the new building, the Ramsey-Alton output will be substantially increased, sufficient to meet the steadily increasing demands for the Oakcraft goods.

June 1914

The line shown in the exhibit illustrated on the opposite page is one of the most popular of the current Mission furniture lines. The Ramsey-Alton Manufacturing Co. specialize on Library and Den furniture, and to the pieces upholstered in leather have recently added pieces upholstered with tapestries. Hall furniture is also a part of this line not prominently shown in the picture on the opposite page.


September 1914

...and as a further follow-up, here are three pieces of Ramsey-Alton 'Oakcraft'..

Folks,

I'm combining a couple threads into one here as we seem to have 2 relatively recent threads on this company with a new message posted in the other one, which was shorter and with less information in it, hence the reason to add it here.

----TRANSFERRED THREAD AS FOLLOWS------

Hunter
Junior Member
Posted 11-08-00 12:35 PM
I have a setee that appears to be a transitional piece from the Arts & Crafts movement. The name of the manufactor was Oak Craft Shop in Portland Michigan. I have a picture scanned into my computer for anyone interested in seeing the piece. I am looking for any information on the company and the value of the sette. Can anyone help?
Posts: 1 | Registered: 11-08-00

PDenham
Member
Posted 12-19-00 09:50 AM
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Hunter:
I have a setee that appears to be a transitional piece from the Arts & Crafts movement. The name of the manufactor was Oak Craft Shop in Portland Michigan. I have a picture scanned into my computer for anyone interested in seeing the piece. I am looking for any information on the company and the value of the sette. Can anyone help?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Try contacting Russ Bienenstock at Furninfo.com. He's an authority on US furniture manufacturers, and will post an enquiry for you if he can't answer it himself. The service is free. Good luck
PDenham
Chairman
The Heritage Studio.
Posts: 6 | Location: London, England | Registered: 12-19-00

becca
Junior Member
Posted 08-03-05 02:32 PM
I have 2 mission style rockers with the same label. Have you been able to find any other information on this furniture maker?
Posts: 1 | Registered: 08-03-05

Stonecat
Member
Posted 08-03-05 02:44 PM
quote:
Originally posted by becca:
I have 2 mission style rockers with the same label. Have you been able to find any other information on this furniture maker?


becca,

The date stamps on the messages above yours are really old so I think those people are long gone. Nonetheless, Oakcraft was a name used by the Ramsey Alton Manufacturing Co. and we have a message thread all about them, that is fairly recent. You can click the link or scroll down the main furniture page a bit to find it.

note - this is now the same thread - Stonecat

Posts: 310 | Registered: 01-27-05

Stonecat
Member
Posted 08-03-05 03:07 PM
Here's the shopmarks on my rocker (which by the way is the first rocker picture in the other thread), to replace the pics from the first message in the other thread, which I took down a while ago.





Posts: 310 | Registered: 01-27-05

<Sweetness>
Posted 10-05-05 12:35 PM
Ramsey-Alton was a manufacturer in Portland MI. They were in operation from 1905 and 1915. They are not one of the more famous manufacturers. A mission chair would be worth about 150.00 and a settee probably around 200.00 - 250.00 Hope this helps you.

------END OF TRANSFERRED THREAD-------

Now in reply to Sweetness,

I disagree somewhat - I would call them a mid tier company; above average and much better than many. In fact the settle in one of the pictures above I found on a shop site being offered for either $1250 or $1750, I forget which (much more than your estimate). The company used exposed tenons and through tenons with pegs and spring seats, which are features that help elevate their status above the dowel joint and stuffed seat companies.

i know there are two ramsey-alton rockers in a booth at an antique mall. iwill try to get by there tomorrow or friday to check prices and take some pics.

as usual, condition plays a MAJOR role, more so than the label in many cases, so remote valuations are always suspect.

I have a rocker with a sticker saying Ramsey Alton Mfg. Co. Portland, Mich. No. 245. It doesn't mention Oakcraft anywhere. Is this newer than the Oakcraft chairs? It looks very similar to the rockers in the photos above. I am wondering about its value, also.

quote:

Originally posted by Jackie:
I have a rocker with a sticker saying Ramsey Alton Mfg. Co. Portland, Mich. No. 245. It doesn't mention Oakcraft anywhere. Is this newer than the Oakcraft chairs? It looks very similar to the rockers in the photos above. I am wondering about its value, also.

Based on the 1911 and 1912 historical notes from above in this thread, they were using the "Oakcraft" name in 1912 but the 1911 article doesn't mention it. So, since the company went out of business in 1915 I would assume that they used Oakcraft for atleast 3 years, but if they used it before this its hard to know, with limited information. Maybe pieces that just say Ramsey Alton are 1911 and earlier - again, we would need some more research to know for sure. Either way I don't think the name game influences the potential value too much. If you have a good condition rocker with good features then it will have good value whether it was made in 1905 or in 1915, the respective start and end dates for the company.

If you could post a picture or two, it would make it easier for a valuation.