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American Treasure Tour

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The American Treasure Tour is a tourist attraction established in 2010 and opened to the public for guided tours. Visitors travel through a large private collection that encompasses an eclectic variety of smaller collections. Included is one of the world's largest private collections of automatic music machines: nickelodeons , band organs , calliopes, photoplayers , and music boxes . There are also classic cars, circus art, dolls and dollhouses, and a large assortment of popular culture miscellanea. It is located in the 422 Business Center in the community of Oaks, Pennsylvania , west of Valley Forge National Historical Park just off of U.S. Route 422 .

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56-571: The collection is located in Oaks, Pennsylvania, in a former B.F. Goodrich tire factory building. The factory was opened in 1937 and active in tire production until its closure in 1986, shortly before Goodrich sold their production line, and the name of their brand, to the Michelin Company. The former plant has since been completely re-purposed. The first floor of the building is currently used for commercial space, including such businesses as

112-602: A group of investors led by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice a private New York investment firm. At the same time, B.F. Goodrich also received a warrant to purchase indirectly up to 7% of the equity in Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company. As part of the June ;1988 sale deal, the new privately held tire company acquired publicly held debt of $ 415 million. Also in 1988, Michelin Group,

168-494: A hostile takeover by financier Carl C. Icahn . At the time, Uniroyal was the fifth-largest tire company in the country. To help pay the nearly $ 1 billion in debt incurred in the leveraged buyout, the company sold its Uniroyal's Chemical subsidiary to Avery Inc. – a producer of agricultural chemicals , industrial chemical additives and specialized rubber and plastic products – for $ 760 million in May 1986. The remaining tire operation

224-688: A landmark gender discrimination case, Chrapliwy v. Uniroyal , under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . The class action lawsuit was settled in favor of the plaintiffs, but the issue of attorney fees was decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 1982. In 1985, Uniroyal was taken private by its management and the New York investment firm of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice to prevent

280-745: A propeller de-icing system in which a rubber boot was fitted onto the leading edge of a propeller. The boot contained wires that conducted electricity to heat the edge and break-up ice. In 1958, Uniroyal entered into a partnership with the Englebert tire company of Liège , Belgium , which became known as Uniroyal Englebert Deutschland AG. In 1963, the name was shortened to Uniroyal-Englebert, and in 1967 it became Uniroyal along with all company divisions. Uniroyal sold this division with its four factories in Belgium, Germany, France and Scotland to Continental AG in 1979. Continental continues to market tires under

336-645: A series of mergers with other companies in Ontario and Quebec became the Canadian Consolidated Rubber Company Limited. After another series of mergers, the company became the Dominion Rubber Company Limited in 1926. It produced footwear under a variety of brand names, coated upholstery fabrics, mechanical parts, industrial chemicals and vehicle tires. In 1966, after four decades as Dominion,

392-521: A subsidiary of the French tire company Michelin et Cie proposed to acquire the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company and took actions towards acquiring a stake. By May 1990, Michelin Group had completed its buyout of Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company from Clayton & Dubilier of New York. The deal was valued at about US$ 1.5 billion. B.F. Goodrich surrendered its 7% warrant to Michelin Group, and received $ 32.5 million additional revenue from

448-634: Is not restricted to): carousel band organs, calliopes, nickelodeons (also known as orchestrions), movie posters and celebrity photographs, vinyl record albums (33-1/3, 48 and 78 speed), Edison cylinder players, antique and modern animated store displays, circus and clown art, pedal cars, model airplanes, and classic cars. A second element is the music box collection, on loan to the ATT by the Music Box Society International (MBSI), an organization of aficionados of automatic music. The ATT

504-585: Is the Tiger Paw introduced in the 1960s and included as original equipment for that decade's muscle cars such as the Pontiac GTO , which itself was promoted as The Tiger during its early years. Today, Uniroyal still uses the Tiger Paw brand name in its tire line. In 1990, Uniroyal was acquired by French tire maker Michelin and ceased to exist as a separate business. Today around 1,000 workers in

560-431: Is the repository for over one hundred pieces from MBSI's extended collection. Many of these are on display and played for visitors. The MBSI has also utilized the ATT as a site for group meetings. The tour consists of two parts: The Music Room, which is predominantly seated with mild walking and The Toy Box, which incorporates a tram ride. The Music Room has record albums, movie posters and celebrity photographs covering

616-843: The General Motors Corporation and with the addition of U.S. Rubber products, became one of the world's largest suppliers of original equipment tires. U.S. Rubber produced tires under the Gillette, Ward, Atlas, U.S. Rubber and U.S. Royal brands. In 1940, U.S. Rubber purchased the remainder of the Gillette Safety Tire Company, and began to expand and modernize the Eau Claire factory, greatly increasing production. During World War II , U.S. Rubber factories were devoted to production of war goods, and produced military truck and airplane tires, as well as

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672-461: The 1930s to the 1950s, under the brand name "Mantola". These radios were actually made by a variety of manufacturers for B.F. Goodrich. In 1936, the company entered the Mexican market in a joint venture, Goodrich-Euzkadi (now part of Continental AG ). Goodrich ranked 67th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts. The Troy, Ohio plant

728-537: The Arnold's Family Fun Center. Most of the second floor, however, is the repository for the collection that comprises the American Treasure Tour. The building complex is 1.2 million square feet while the ATT comprises 100,000 square feet, about the size of a big-box store . The ATT has on display the private collection of one person, who remains anonymous at his request. The collection includes (but

784-541: The B.F. Goodrich Company, in a joint venture private partnership, to become the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company . B.F. Goodrich Company held a 50% stake in the new tire company. The new Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company headquarters was established at the former B.F. Goodrich corporate headquarters, within its 27-building downtown complex in Akron, Ohio which contained Goodrich's original factory. In

840-526: The Martin's vice president Malcolm A. MacIntyre to operate Hanford nuclear site under the auspices of AEC , thus assuming duties, previously performed by the General Electric Co. In 1961, the company became Uniroyal, Inc. The Uniroyal name was applied to all its operating components and products by 1967, creating a unified brand. As Uniroyal in 1974, the company became defendant in

896-634: The Music Room. Highlights among them include: The Toy Box takes up the majority of the space in the American Treasure Tour. Visitors are driven in an electric tram down lanes displayed with an eclectic collection of Americana on both sides and hanging from the ceiling. Tours are conducted by guides who discuss the items, including: model airplanes, classic cars, more automatic musical instruments, original artwork, movie memorabilia and Disneyana, stuffed animals, animated store displays, motorcycles, and neon signage. Highlights include: The anonymous owner of

952-825: The U.S. remain employed by Michelin to make its Uniroyal brand products. While in North America, Colombia and Peru, the Uniroyal brand has been owned by Michelin since 1990, outside those regions, the Uniroyal brand has been owned by Continental AG since 1979 following their acquisition of Uniroyal Europe, formerly known as Englebert . By 1892, there were many rubber manufacturing companies in Naugatuck, Connecticut , as well as elsewhere in Connecticut. Nine companies consolidated their operations in Naugatuck to become

1008-620: The Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company as its tire manufacturing unit in the United States and Canada. In January 1991, Michelin Group closed the historic Eau Claire, Wisconsin, plant, eliminating 1,350 positions. Later in 1991 it closed the tire-cord manufacturing plant in Lindsay, Ontario , with 74 workers on August 30, 1991, due to high cost and two tire factories with 1,000 jobs in Kitchener, Ontario , citing overcapacity. Also in 1991,

1064-633: The Uniroyal brand outside NAFTA , Colombia and Peru . Uniroyal operations in Canada were carried out under the name Dominion Rubber Company for a number of decades. Dominion started operations as Brown, Hibbard and Bourne, established in 1854. In 1866, the company registered as the Canadian Rubber Company of Montreal Limited and became prosperous manufacturing waterproof cloth, rubber footwear and machinery belts. It began to produce auto tires in 1906 in its Montreal factory and through

1120-704: The Uniroyal tiger returned to national television after a 10-year hiatus, featured in a new 30-second spot created by Wyse Advertising of Cleveland, Ohio . The animated Uniroyal tiger had been a television advertising icon for the company through the 1970s. The new commercial appeared on ESPN and CNN sports-related programming, and also was run by Uniroyal dealers in local markets. By 1993, Michelin North America employed 28,000 people at 18 plants, in South Carolina, Alabama, Oklahoma, Indiana, Nova Scotia and Ontario. In mid-1993, Michelin North America cut 2,500 of those jobs, which represented about 9% of its work force in

1176-534: The United States Rubber Company. One of the nine, Goodyear's India Rubber Glove Mfg. Co. (named Litchfield Rubber Co until 1847) – which manufactured rubber gloves for telegraph linemen – was the only company in which Charles Goodyear , inventor of the rubber vulcanization process, is known to have owned stock. From 1892 to 1913, the rubber footwear divisions of U.S. Rubber manufactured their products under 30 different brand names, including

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1232-990: The United States and Canada, because of softening demand for tires. As of 2010, the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire unit continued to operate with about 1,000 workers at its tire plant in Woodburn, Indiana , and another plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama . Citing overcapacity in the North American tire market, the plant in Opelika, Alabama , closed in 2009. The Uniroyal, Inc Records are held by the Special Collections and Archives Department at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire . Comprising contract negotiation and grievance case files, meeting minutes, memos, correspondence, photos and audio visual material,

1288-576: The Wales-Goodyear Shoe Co. The company consolidated these footwear brands under one name, Keds , in 1916, and were mass-marketed as the first flexible rubber-sole with canvas-top " sneakers " in 1917. On May 26, 1896, Charles Dow created the Dow Industrial average of twelve industrial manufacturing stocks, which included U.S. Rubber Company. When the average expanded to a list of 20 stocks in 1916, U.S. Rubber remained, however

1344-735: The autumn of 1987 B.F. Goodrich Company shut down several manufacturing operations at the site, and most of the complex remained vacant until February 1988, when B.F. Goodrich announced plans to sell the vacant part of the complex to the Covington Capital Corporation, a group of New York developers. The complex is now known as Canal Place. In 1987, its first full year of operation, the new Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company generated almost $ 2 billion in sales revenue, with profits of $ 35 million. The merger soon proved to be difficult. In June 1988 B.F. Goodrich sold its 50% stake for $ 225 million. The buyers were

1400-399: The canvas-top, rubber-soled Jungle boot for soldiers and marines serving in tropical and jungle environments. U.S. Rubber ranked 37th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. In 1942, the United States government restricted the sale of scarce rubber products for civilian use and production at the plant dwindled. The company sold the Eau Claire plant to

1456-560: The citizens of Akron, Ohio , to relocate his business there. In 1909, the company constructed a 12-story building with a facade influenced by Jacobean Revival style and Vienna Secession for its New York Headquarters, located at 1780 Broadway, New York. which is now become one of the historical landmarks. In March 1912, the Diamond Rubber Company , founded by the owner of the Diamond Match Company ,

1512-661: The collection that comprises the majority of the American Treasure Tour (sans the MBSI collection) continues to regularly bring in new pieces, which are incorporated into the tours whenever space allows. Goodrich Corporation The Goodrich Corporation , formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company , was an American manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina . Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich ,

1568-499: The company name was changed to the "B.F. Goodrich Company" in 1880, to BFGoodrich in the 1980s, and to "Goodrich Corporation" in 2001. Originally a rubber manufacturing company known for automobile tires, the company diversified its manufacturing businesses throughout the twentieth century and sold off its tire business in 1986 to focus on its other businesses, such as aerospace and chemical manufacturing. The BFGoodrich brand name continues to be used by Michelin , who acquired

1624-534: The company that it was drastically cutting its order for engine casing components. United States Rubber Company The company formerly known as the United States Rubber Company , now Uniroyal , is an American manufacturer of tires and other synthetic rubber -related products, as well as variety of items for military use, such as ammunition , explosives , chemical weapons and operations and maintenance activities (O&MA) at

1680-526: The company was renamed Uniroyal Ltd., along with all other company holdings, and in 1981, it was sold to Waterville Ltd. In 1939, Mark Lodge and Harold Hill established S. A. Rubber Mills Pty. Ltd. in Edwardstown, South Australia . The company grew until 1963 when U.S. Rubber purchased 25% of the business. By 1980, Uniroyal owned sixty percent of what was now Uniroyal Brazil which it sold to Bridgestone . The subsidiary which operated Australian plants under

1736-561: The current name completed the transformation. In 2006, company sales were $ 5.8 billion, of which 18%, 16% and 12% of total revenues were accounted for by the U.S. government, Airbus and Boeing, respectively. In 1988, the Goodrich Corporation sold its tire business and rights to the Goodrich name to French company Michelin . During the 1970s, Goodrich ran television and print ads to distinguish themselves from

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1792-540: The deal. On October 16, 2012, United Technologies Corporation secured an agreement to sell the Power Systems division of Goodrich (Twinsburg Ohio, Pitstone Green Buckinghamshire) to Safran for $ 400 million. The sale of this business unit was a condition that the Chinese competition regulators set in approving UTC's purchase of Goodrich. The Power Systems division had to be divested by December 16, 2012. Ultimately,

1848-478: The debt securities in two parts through underwriters led by Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. The two instruments were a US$ 250 million issue of 14 ⅛% notes due in 1998, and a US$ 165 million issue of 14 ½% subordinated debentures due in 2000. For the year 1988, Uniroyal Goodrich Tire posted sales revenue of US$ 2.2 billion, while profit declined to about a third of the prior year, less than US$ 12 million, which included an extraordinary credit of nearly US$ 2 million from

1904-514: The fall of 1987, the B.F. Goodrich Company closed several manufacturing operations at the site, and most of the complex remained vacant until February 1988, when B.F. Goodrich announced plans to sell the vacant portions of the complex to the Covington Capital Corporation, a New York developer. The complex is now known as Canal Place. In 1987, its first full year of operation, the new Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company generated almost US$ 2 billion in sales revenue, with profit of about US$ 35 million. However,

1960-514: The former tire maker the No. 1 supplier of landing gear and other aircraft parts. Headquarters were moved to Charlotte following this merger. In 2001, the company divested its specialty chemicals business to focus on aerospace and industrial products and, to signify the completion of its transformation, it was renamed Goodrich Corporation and adopted a new logo . In October 2002, Goodrich acquired TRW Aeronautical Systems, this division

2016-487: The government, which then converted it for the manufacture of small caliber ammunition and renamed it the Eau Claire Ordnance plant. By December 31, 1943, the need for tires outweighed the need for ammunition. U.S. Rubber repurchased the plant from the government for more than US$ 1 million, and converted it back to synthetic rubber tire production. The company began an expansion and modernization program at

2072-499: The government-owned contractor-operated facilities. It was founded in Naugatuck, Connecticut , in 1892. It was one of the original 12 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average , and became Uniroyal, Inc., as part of creating a unified brand for its products and subsidiaries in 1961. The company's long-lived advertisement slogan was " United States Tires are Good Tires ." One of Uniroyal's best-known tires

2128-413: The largest tire and rubber manufacturers in the world, helped in part by the 1986 merger with Uniroyal (formerly the United States Rubber Company ). This product line was sold to Michelin in 1988, and the company merged with Rohr (1997), Coltec Industries, and TRW Aeronautical Systems (formerly Lucas Aerospace ) in 2002. The sale of the specialty chemicals division and subsequent change to

2184-467: The listing expanded to 30 stocks in 1928 and U.S. Rubber was dropped. In an effort to increase its share of the automobile tire market in 1931, U.S. Rubber Company bought a substantial portion of the Gillette Safety Tire Company. The company was founded in 1916 by Raymond B. Gillette and its primary manufacturing plant was located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin . The Gillette plant held large contracts with

2240-530: The merger soon proved to be difficult. In June 1988, B.F. Goodrich sold its 50% stake to a group of investors led by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice for US$ 225 million. At the same time, B.F. Goodrich also received a warrant to purchase indirectly up to 7% of the equity in Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company. Also in June 1988 as part of the sale deal, the new privately held tire company acquired publicly held debt of $ 415 million. The Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company offered

2296-592: The name Uniroyal Tyre Company became Bridgestone Australia Ltd. and was traded on the Australian stock exchange as a majority-owned subsidiary of Japan's tire company. On March 20, 2007, stockholders of Bridgestone Australia Ltd. voted to make the company a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation of Japan. ( TYO : 5108 ) A joint venture, Isochem, Inc., was established in June 1965 together with Martin Marietta Corporation and chaired by

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2352-441: The plant that lasted through 1951. When it ended, the Eau Claire plant was the fifth largest tire facility in the United States. The company again expanded the plant in 1965 to produce tires for construction machinery, and for many years it was the largest private employer in Eau Claire and the second largest in neighboring Chippewa Falls before it was closed in 1991. In late 1943, U.S. Rubber engineer Dr. Louis Marick developed

2408-545: The proposed purchase of the company by Michelin Group. By May 1990, Michelin Group completed its purchase of Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company from Clayton & Dubilier of New York. The deal was valued at about US$ 1.5 billion. B.F. Goodrich surrendered its 7% warrant to Michelin Group for US$ 32.5 million. With the sale, B.F. Goodrich then exited the tire business and became the Goodrich Corporation to focus on building its chemicals and aerospace businesses through reinvestment and acquisitions. Michelin Group continued to operate

2464-450: The purchase of Canadian annuity pension obligations, and also a charge of over US$ 16 million from the June 1988 recapitalization resulting from the selloff by B.F. Goodrich. Also in 1988, Michelin Group, a subsidiary of the French tire company Michelin et Cie ( Euronext Paris :  ML ) proposed to acquire the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company, and began acquiring a stake. In 1989, Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company posted sales revenue that

2520-688: The records document numerous activities including: the collective bargaining activities of Local 19 of the United Rubber Workers of America, the impact on plant operations by the introduction of synthetic rubber production, and work modernization after World War II. The Department is also home to the Uniroyal Collection , which includes news clippings and photos, and well as the United Rubber, Cork, Linoleum, and Plastic Workers of America. Local 19: Records , which reflect

2576-532: The sale was completed on 27 March 2013. In April 2020, the remaining portions of Goodrich became part of the Collins Aerospace subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies , a firm which resulted from the merger of United Technologies and the Raytheon Company . and On Feb 24, 2004, Goodrich restated its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings results for 2003 after Pratt & Whitney notified

2632-458: The sale. B.F. Goodrich by then exited the tire business entirely, in line with its plan to build its chemicals and aerospace businesses through reinvestment and acquisitions. In 1997, it acquired Rohr, a maker of jet aircraft engine nacelles , expanding its presence in integrated aircraft components industry. In 1999, it acquired Charlotte, North Carolina -based Coltec Industries for $ 2.2 billion in stock and assumed debt, making

2688-635: The similar-sounding Goodyear tire company. The tag line was, "We're the other guys. Remember?" The company was also sometimes confused with Mr. Goodwrench as the two last names were similar, especially since B.F. Goodrich tires were featured on many General Motors cars and trucks. In 1869 Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich purchased the Hudson River Rubber Company, a small business in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York . The following year Goodrich accepted an offer of $ 13,600 from

2744-449: The tire manufacturing business in 1988. Following the acquisition by United Technologies in 2012, Goodrich became a part of UTC Aerospace Systems . In 1869, Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich purchased the Hudson River Rubber Company, a small business in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York . The following year Dr. Goodrich accepted an offer of $ 13,600 from the citizens of Akron, Ohio , to relocate his business there. The company grew to be one of

2800-468: The walls. Located in the room are a majority of the collection's nickelodeons, dolls, dollhouses, and photoplayers, as well as the MBSI music boxes. The guides use modern iPad technology to turn on selected nickelodeons and instructional videos for visitors. Tours include the playing of numerous machines and brief historical stories told by the guide about the era during which the machines were popular. There are over 150 automatic music machines on display in

2856-476: Was bought out by and merged with the B.F. Goodrich Company. The Diamond brand name and product line were retained and a subsidiary Diamond Rubber Company created for the marketing and manufacturing of them. The company helped found and start the Yokohama Rubber Company on Oct 13, 1917, in a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and B.F. Goodrich. B.F. Goodrich sold radios from

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2912-855: Was mainly the former Lucas Aerospace activity, mostly based in the UK and France. In November 2010, Goodrich opened a large new manufacturing centre in Krosno Rzeszow , Poland . In September 2011, United Technologies Corporation announced a deal to buy Goodrich for $ 18.4 billion, paying $ 127.50 per share and assuming $ 1.9 billion in debt. On July 26, 2012, United Technologies Corporation purchased Goodrich. Unsold divisions of Hamilton Sundstrand and Goodrich were then merged to create UTC Aerospace Systems . Rocketdyne, Hamilton Sundstrand's industrial pumps and compressors operations, Clipper Windpower, and UTC Power (United Technologies' fuel-cell business) would be sold off to raise cash for

2968-537: Was merged with that of B.F. Goodrich Company ( NYSE :  GR ), a S&P 500 -listed tire and rubber fabricator that made high-performance replacement tires. The joint venture partnership became the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company and B.F. Goodrich Company held a 50% stake in the new tire company. The new Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company established its headquarters at the former B. F. Goodrich corporate headquarters, within its 27-building downtown complex in Akron, Ohio , which contained Goodrich's original factory. In

3024-447: Was purchased in 1946 from Waco . Since then, Goodrich has manufactured wheels and brakes for a variety of aircraft. Among these are commercial, military, regional, and business programs. This successful operation lies at the core of Goodrich's business. Competitors include the aerostructures divisions of companies such as Honeywell , Messier-Bugatti , Aircraft Braking Systems , ( Howmet /Huck) and SNECMA . The Hood Rubber Company

3080-478: Was sold before the Great Depression as a division of the B.F. Goodrich Company. By 1986, B.F. Goodrich had become an S&P 500 -listed company in diverse business, including tire and rubber fabrication. B.F. Goodrich made high-performance replacement tires. In August 1986, one of its biggest competitors in the tire business, Uniroyal Inc. , was taken private when it merged with the tire segment of

3136-425: Was up to almost US$ 2.3 billion, but profit was down by 90% to just over US$ 1 million, but included over US$ 9 million extraordinary credit that year for the ongoing Canadian annuity pension obligation purchase. 1989 year-end net income results were also hurt by increased interest expense of nearly US$ 31 million on the June 1988 debt recapitalization, and a US$ 29 million charge for deferred employee compensation related to

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