Kneesi and Other Washington, DC Trunk Sellers
From what I can tell while researching my family's history, the leather goods/trunks/luggage trade was quite vibrant in the VA-MD-DC area from the 1860s up thru the 1920s. Kaspar Kneessi had multiple outlets for his products just before he settled at 425 7th St N.W.in D.C. By 1916, his sons Gus & Fred opened a 2nd store (Gus closed it in 1924 when he retired). Gustaves son Ed opened a store in 1910, which turned out to be the last Kneessi 'branch' when it closed in 1929. The central business district of Washington, D.C developed into a roughly 40 to 60 square block area; from 7th St on the east to 15th St on the west; and from I St on the north to D St on the SE corner to F St on the SW corner (Pa Ave runs NW-SE which cuts thru the area and helps define it). Of course there were then and later other shopping areas but this was the 'core' and lasted for years. There were many department stores (I remember some) which sold trunks/luggage/and other leather goods. S. Kanns & sons sold various brands. An ad in 1914 says they bought out the bankrupt Berman firm and displayed some of the trunks for sale. In 1915, they had an ad for 'Neverbreak' trunks and a later ad showed where they bought out L. Goldsmiths & Sons stock of 'Neverbreak' trunks. Another ad in 1916 showed more of these for sale. In 1910, Woodward & Lothrop claimed to be 'exclusive' agents for the Indestructo brand of trunks. A 1916 ad had Safe-Lock trunks displayed. The Hecht company sold every kind known to man. Smaller firms such as Bermans on F St and Lutz on Pa Ave sold every kind of trunk possible. As did H.W. Topham, who advertised Indestructo trunks as well as making his own trunks. In 1914, his firm landed a contract to make 10,000 U.S. Army trunks - which he always played up in later ads. One ad he ran claimed Teddy Roosevelt took Tophams trunks on his African safaris. VA Trunk & Bag Company of Petersburg rans ads for its Dread-Naught line of luggage and trunks. The Kneessi firm at one time or another sold all of these lines as well as products they made themselves.
Information added in June
2006:
I’ve updated the notes on
the Kneessi trunk company that I gave you for your website awhile back.
Hopefully, there’s some more
details you can use here.
Thanks, Al Peters
***************************
There were many newspapers
in Washington, D.C. from the 1860s up thru the 1920s. The Washington Post
was not the largest in
circulation until it later
took over other newspapers such as the Time and the Herald. (today there
is another Times which had nothing
to do with the paper of
many years ago). The newspaper of the day was the Washington Star. Both
the Star and the Post ran many ads
for the trunk & leather
industry in the city. I’ve poured over many ads and spent may hours gathering
data about the many trunk
companys in D.C. from about
1860 up thru the 1930s when most had vanished. Here’s a rough summation
of what I’ve gleaned.
>From what I can tell while
researching my family’s history, the leather goods/trunks/luggage trade
was quite vibrant in the VA-MD-DC area
from the 1860s up thru the
1920s. Among them was my great great grandfather Kaspar Kneessi and after
his death in 1890, his sons Gustave
and Frederick. Gustaves
son Ed managed many of the retail outlets over years and finally his own
before it also closed in 1929.
Kaspar Kneessi had multiple
outlets for his products just before he settled at 422 (which had been
499 when he bought the factory from James
Topham a few years earlier)
7th St N.W.in D.C. Topham built a larger factory across the street at 500
7th St, which then became 425 7th St.
When Kaspar moved to 499
7th St, he took on as a partner Tophams former business partner, Thomas
Norflet. In turn, Conrad Becker (who
had been a business partner
of Kneessi, went into business with James Topham. Later, Norflet would
leave Kneessi and partner with Becker
elsewhere in the city. Topham
would later sell his new building to Kaspar Kneessi. Upon Kaspars
death in 1890, the business at 425 7th
St would become ‘K.
Kneessis Sons’. Topham headed over to Penn. Ave. and later on F St.,
closer to the White House. Norflet would leave
Becker and just vanish.
The Becker leather business would keep a presence in the D.C. area up thru
the 1980s.
By 1916, Kaspars sons Gus
& Fred opened a 2nd store which Gus later bought himself when he sold
his interest in the family store. Gus closed it
in 1924 and he retired.
Gustaves son Ed opened a store in 1923, which turned out to be the last
Kneessi ‘branch’ when it closed in 1929. The
central business district
of Washington, D.C developed into a roughly 40 to 60 square block area;
from 5th St on the east to 15th St on the west;
and from I St on the north
to D St on the SE corner to F St on the SW corner (Pa Ave runs NW-SE which
cuts thru the area and helps define it).
Of course there were then
and later other shopping areas but this was the ‘core’ and lasted
for years. There were many department stores which
sold trunks/luggage/and
other leather goods. S. Kanns & sons sold various brands. An ad in
1914 says they bought out the bankrupt Berman firm
and displayed some of the
trunks for sale. In 1915, they had an ad for ‘Neverbreak’ trunks and a
later ad showed where they bought out L.
Goldsmiths & Sons stock
of ‘Neverbreak’ trunks. Another ad in 1916 showed more of these for sale.
In 1910, Woodward & Lothrop claimed to
be ‘exclusive’ agents
for the Indestructo brand of trunks. A 1916 ad had Safe-Lock trunks displayed.
The Hecht company sold every kind known
to man. Smaller firms such
as Bermans on F St and Lutz on Pa Ave sold every kind of trunk possible.
As did James Topham, who advertised
Indestructo trunks as well
as making his own. In 1914, his firm landed a contract to make 10,000 U.S.
Army trunks – which he always played up
in later ads. One ad he
ran claimed Teddy Roosevelt took Tophams trunks on his African safaris.
James Topham died in 1912 but the business
continued in the the 1920s
under the H.W. Topham name. VA Trunk & Bag Company of Petersburg ran
ads for its Dread-Naught line of luggage
and trunks.
Neverbreak trunks seem to
have been manufactured by many vendors including the Kneessi firm. Ads
found on the internet bear this out. The firms
which actually made them
were allowed to place their companys name alongside the name Neverbreak
and I’ve seen several samples of this (ed note –
this is Mr. Peters claim,
not the opinion of BVTS but that’s just fine).
The Kneessi firm at one time
or another sold all of these lines as well as products they made themselves.
Over the years they held many contracts
for leather goods for the
federal government. They once made a white leather harness, trimmed in
gold for President Grant. They made a sets of
luggage and trunks for each
member of the U.S. Congress, some of which turn up for sale on ebay from
time-to-time. In 1927, Fred Kneessi and
his 2 sisters cashed out
the business after 67 years and retired. Soon thereafter, most of the others
were part of history as well.
some of the firms found include:
Baums 7th, 8th St and
D St NW
L A Beall 361 7th St NW (before
the street was renumbered)
R Goldschmid 1007-1009
F St NW
McMurray 506
Market Square
Norflet & Topham
499 7th St NW
WB Strong 255 Penn
Ave NW
James S Topham 500 7th St
NW
Wall, Stephens & Co
322 Penn Ave NW
Beckers 1324-1326 F St NW
L Berman of Baltimore
1227 Penn Ave NW
Joeseph Hutchinson
1109 14th St NW
Lutz & Co 497 Penn
Ave NW
Va Trunk & Bag Co
Petersburg Va