The Benedict Factory

In 1877, the Benedict billiard table manufactory occupied only the second floor. In 1879, Benedict claimed to be the only billiard factory in the state using steam power.

Benedict Timeline

The Benedict Billiard Table Co. produced highly inlaid, elaborately ornamented tables, and in the antique pool table community, Benedict is still the best-known of the old Syracuse makers. This is thanks not only to the artistry of founder H. A. Benedict, but also to the business acumen of the well-connected second owner, T. W. Meachem.

1875	Heman Allen Benedict, formerly of Skaneateles, is manufacturing billiard tables in Syracuse, NY
1876	H. A. Benedict advertises new and second-hand tables, private tables a specialty
1877	H. A. Benedict advertises the "Syracuse Standard Billiard Table"
1877	New factory location on Gifford Street damaged by nearby fire
1879	Thomas William Meachem, formerly of Auburn, NY, buys the Benedict Billiard Table Mfg Company, H. A. Benedict remains as superintendent
1882	Heman Benedict leaves to manage Syracuse billiard table dealership of J. M. Brunswick & Balke
1885	Heman Benedict leaves the billiard industry, Brunswick, Balke & Collender closes their Syracuse ware-rooms
1889	First advertisement showing the Benedict and the Brunswick, Balke & Collender (BBC) billiard companies at same address
1896	The Benedict company has exclusive territory for BBC tables in 31 New York counties, manufacturing seems limited to cue racks and carom plugs
1900	The Benedict Billiard Table Co. is incorporated in New York
1903	T. W. Meachem sells Benedict Billiard Table Co. to Brunswick, Balke & Collender Co.
1913	The Benedict Billiard Table Co. is dissolved

The Syracuse Billiard Table Makers

From the Antebellum Era into the Roaring 20’s, a billiard or pool table provided an amusement in social clubs and fraternal lodges, a status symbol in the homes of the wealthy, and a profitable investment for the billiard halls. Billiards played an integral role in men’s social lives, and the tables were beautiful articles of furniture, as well as complex manufactured products.

As a transportation hub and a booming industrial city, Syracuse, NY provided a ready local market for tables, with convenient canal and rail shipping for raw materials and finished goods. A number of Syracuse billiard table "manufactories" competed to supply every hotel, firehouse, saloon, and industrialist’s parlor along the Erie Canal with tables.

Here are the Syracuse Billiard Table Makers that operated between the Civil War and WWI:

Babcock: The longest-running billiard table makers in Syracuse, this two-generation family business started soon after the Civil War, and persevered until the Great Depression (John D. Babcock, Ray Babcock). For more, see the Babcock Timeline or posts labeled Babcock.

Benedict: Beginning in the late 1870’s, Benedict was known for elaborate inlaid tables, and is still the best-known of the old Syracuse makers (Heman A. Benedict, T. William Meachem). For more, see the Benedict Timeline or posts labeled Benedict.

Castle: Around 1900, the ranks of the Syracuse billiard table makers expanded, when Charles L. Castle started his own workshop, after decades of experience in the industry. For more, see the Castle Timeline or posts labeled Castle.

Stickley: Gustav Stickley's United Crafts produced furnishings for the elaborate private billiard rooms of the wealthy, and brothers L. & J. G. Stickley also sold billiard tables. Stay tuned for more on Stickley.