Oakville’s First Industrial Era

Oakville’s First Industrial Era. Pioneer Industry. , Industry prospered in Oakville during the 1840s to 1860s, with the establishment of foundries, tanneries and carriage works., In 1851 machinists John Doty and Ashley Hibberd built a foundry to manufacture sawmill equipment and steam engines. After a fire in 1854, a rebuilt foundry offered a new product: a carriage axle, invented and patented by Doty., The area's hardwoods provided raw material for horse drawn vehicles. By the 1850s, a half-dozen factories were turning out carriages, sleighs and wagons. , Thompson Smith opened a tannery in 1856 to manufacture leather boots, shoes, and parts for carriages. Later, as the Marlatt and Armstrong Leather Company, the tannery was for many years Oakville's largest employer. It operated until 1925.