J.D. Babcock 1893 Advertisement

 

Then and Now:  Here is an unrestored end panel of this same model J.D. Babcock billiard table (courtesy of Bankshot Antique Pool Tables, Albany, NY). I've found that the engravings in ads during this era did not always represent actual tables produced by that particular billiard table maker, but this one certainly was accurate.

Utica Manufacturer in Syracuse

Here's an intriguing description of a billiard table in the Syracuse, N. Y. Daily Courier, Aug. 7, 1858:

Voorhees House Billiard Saloon -- Mr. G. W. Moulton, formerly of Weiting Hall, is putting up two of Green's Metallic framed, enamelled cushioned, marble bedded Billiard Tables on the lower floor at the Voorhees House, and will probably have them in operation on Monday. They are the most perfect specimens of the kind we have ever seen. The frames are got up in the ornate style of George IV, and the enamelled cushions are a novelty worthy a careful examination. These superb tables are the work of W. H. Green, Esq, of Utica, one of the most accomplished mechanics the country affords.

According to the Utica Daily Observer, Nov. 17, 1858, some familiar Utica faces were seen in the window of a billiard room on Broadway in New York city: "Wm. H. Green, of the National Hotel, Genesee St., was before the New York public with his patent billiard tables, of which there are six in his saloon."

I've had no luck finding William "Harry" Green's patent yet, but during the 1850's, billiard patenting still revolved mainly around the cushions.(See Antebellum Billiard Table Patents)

Jim's Castle

Jim Castle had heard stories about his great-grandfather's billiard business, but he'd never actually seen his ancestor’s handiwork. Today Jim is the proud owner of a C. L. Castle “Unity” pool table, made over a century ago in his great-grandfather’s factory, and his family has an heirloom with a very personal meaning.

The owners of Bankshot Antique Pool Tables always had a special affinity for the Syracuse-made tables, but Jim was able to shed new light on the billiard table makers as people and as businessmen. My curiosity led to some research, a press release, and a great story by the Syracuse Post-Standard on Sept. 9, 2012:

Jim Castle restores a pool table that was built at his great-grandfather's Syracuse factory