Time Line for the Festus Mfg. Co. and the Acu-Rule Mfg. Co.


1938    Paul Jones Jr. started the Festus Mfg. Co. making Acu-Rule slide rules

1939    Paul Jones takes control of the company in June and renames it Acu-Rule Mfg. Co.  By August he has hired a New York Sales Agent and was selling in gross quantities.

1940    The company is chartered as a Missouri Corporation in April and moved to 623 Del Monte Way, St. Louis, Mo.  Slide rules made for Dietzgen, Van Nostrum, Post and AREL.

1944     Company officers are listed as President, Paul Jones; Vice President and General Manager, Russell Queen; Secretary & Treasurer, Katherine Jones

1945    Paul Jones dies July 28th.  Harry S. Gleick is vice-president.  War time restrictions on raw materials lifted.   A Trig slide rule is produced and a new manual design is used

1946    President is now Willfred J. R. Boos.    Acu-Math brand appears on new line of slide rules made with magnesium cores.  Possibly other rules also used the new brand name.  Acu-Design also appears, presumably as a side line of W. J. Boos providing scale artwork to other slide rule manufacturers. New style manuals are developed for the Log-Log slide rule

1947    Nicholas Muschong is now the vice-president.  Katherine Jones leaves the company.  About this time
            work is being done on wood-plastic laminates.  Project failed no rules ever produced.

1948    Work on Vinyl slide rules is underway.  

1949    Willfred Boos applies for a patent on a one piece molded cursor.

1950    The Acu-Rule Mfg. Co. files to establish the Acu-Math Co. in Illinois on April 14  but the name was never used as the company name. (This is the same day G. L. Lockhart declared  Bankruptcy).

1952    Patent granted to Willfred Boos.

1954    W. J. Boos files to charter  the Acu-Rule Mfg. Co. in Illinois with the registered office in Mt. Olive.  Charter granted in April. Acu-Rule is on the Mt. Olive tax rolls.

1956    Nick Muschong is now company president. P. W. Muschong joins the company.  Mary Jane Muschong is Secretary.  The office is relocated    to 4969 Tholzan St. St. Louis.  The company location is listed as in Mt. Olive, Illinois.

1959    The St. Louis office location is 8855 Bracken Circle, Affton, Mo.

1964    The St. Louis office location is 13050 Woodley Lane, St. Louis

1967    Decision made to devlelop a circular slide rule and a 20 inch slide rule.  The company sale stopped development.

1968    George and Mary Staab of Mountainside N. J.  buy the company on June 25th and operate for about a year in Mt. Olive as Sterling Plastics Co.  using the existing Acu-Rule staff  for production.

1969    The company is moved to Mountainside N. J.  In April the Staabs file to dissolve the Acu-Rule Mfg. Co. in Missouri and the final Certificate of Dissolution is issued in September.

1970   Sterling Plastics is purchased by Borden Chemical. In March the Staabs file in New Jersey to withdraw Acu-Rule Mfg. Co. as an Illinois Corporation.

1972 Last known year that Borden produces Sterling Acu-Math slide rules.  

Time Line for the Slide Rule & Scale Engineering Co.


1930    The company is established

1945    G L. Lockhart states plans to rent the Niemann Poultry Supply factory at 5th North St. on October 5 and locate in Mt. Olive, Illinois.

1946    On March 15, an Open House is held in Mt. Olive to initiate production.  In July they were incorporated to do business in Illinois.

1947    Largest fire in Mt. Olive history destroys a large part of the plant; $100,000 loss.  Plans are made to rebuild and some production is started.

1948    George Lockhart meets with Industrial Group requesting they rebuilt their factory

1949     Lockhart requests a loan of $12,000 to rebuild the plant.  G. L. Lockhart is not  on the tax rolls.  George M. and Don Lockhart and the company are listed.

1950    On June 30th Chancery No. 97536 is filled for dissolution of the corporation. The  plant is never rebuilt and the Slide Rule and Scale Engineering Co. is declared Bankrupt in April.  In September the creditors meet in Carlinville, Illinois. 

1953     No Lockharts on the Mt. Olive tax rolls.  The Mt. Olive Herald reports that Acu-Rule Mfg. Co. will buy property and relocate from St. Louis.  G. L. Lockhart starts the Lockhart Rule Co. at 721.5 Chestnut St., St. Louis 1, Mo.

1954    In September the Mt. Olive Industrial Association  votes to dissolve.

1957    A Lockhart concrete calculator rule is found copyright 1957, Slide Rule Calculator Co., Owensboro, Ky.

copyright George Keane November 24, 2006

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

CONTINUE TO PICTURE GALLERY

RETURN TO CHAPTER 2

RETURN TO CHAPTER 1

CONTINUE TO ACUMATH MODEL FINDER

CONTINUE TO PRODUCTION STEPS FOR MODEL 401

12/20/06