One of the products Holgate Toys sells is American Made Building Blocks. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Holgate Toys and its Made in America products see the following:

Pepperell Braiding Company, Inc. designs and manufactures arts and crafts materials. Our products include crafting components, stretch magic beading cord, hemp based craft kits and hemp balls, cords and accessories, industrial braids and cords, wicks, wooden beads, hematite beads, and crafting materials. 1789 was the year America's Constitution was signed and George Washington
became the country's first President. It was also the year Cornelius Holgate
established a woodworking shop on the outskirts of Philadelphia
in the Colonial town of Roxborough. We have been in continuous operation
ever since! Through the generations, our company has made numerous
wooden products for home, farm and industry.



Shortly after the Civil War,
Holgate moved to Kane, Pennsylvania, to be near the area's
abundant hardwood forests. In 1929, our company expanded its product
line by making educational pre-school wooden toys.


Holgate's early toy designer was Jarvis Rockwell, brother of famous
illustrator Norman Rockwell who visited the Holgate factory on several occasions.
Jarvis Rockwell's concern for safety, durability and educational play
earned him recognition as America's premier toy designer during this period.
With the great consumer success of its toys,
Holgate began concentrating on this segment of its business.

Today Holgate is synonymous with toys...

and still making the finest wooden toys in America.
Our factory is now located in Bradford, Pennsylvania,
still in the middle of America's premier hardwood forests.
Today, Holgate is recognized as the premier maker
of children's wooden toys in America.

We are 100% AMERICAN MADE!





For additional historical information check out Holgate Toy on YouTube.

One of the products Hoohobbers sells is Made in the USA Rocking Horses. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Hoohobbers and its Made in America products see the following:

In 1979 Bill and Judy Sommerschield and their two young daughters were having Thanksgiving dinner with Bill's parents. One daughter used a bulky booster seat to raise herself up to table size, the other was left with the Chicago phone book having to do the deed. Bill wondered why there wasn't a portable booster seat to solve this seating problem, a compact chair that could be easily carried from place to place.

Over the next year Bill pursued the idea of creating a portable booster seat. Along the way he met Mike Wilson, an industrial designer. Mike designed what is now Hoohobbers' signature product, its junior director chair/booster seat. Focus Groups were enthusiastic. One lady described how she thought the chair was an item her little toddler could easily control all by herself, a legitimate product -not just a fad or piece of candy or some such, that would help develop the child's emerging personality and sense of self-awareness. Wow! Though more than a bit wordy, she hit the nail on the head. This idea of child control and self-fulfillment would be used as a measure for all Hoohobbers products that would be born later.

Over the next 18 months Bill pursued development of the chair, first thinking it a good idea to have someone else bring to market, then determining to do so himself. Reluctantly leaving his advertising career, Bill decided to give the chair a go. In June of 1981 it was ready. Made of solid polypropylene, it just happened to emerge at the same time maturing plastics technology allowed it to be fashioned with a bright, highly cosmetic finish. It stood out. People took notice. Sales passed $3million in Hoohobbers first fiscal year, the vast majority of which were from the little booster.

Rumors soon began to circulate about companies preparing to copy the chair's design (at least 6 ultimately did). To help counter this, added products were developed. These included a director chair for older children, a rocking chair, a combination toddler/adult table, a baby rocker, a toy box, an easel, a laundry hamper, dinnerware, silverware and more. The new products maintained the same high-design motif as the original chair, as well as reflecting its uniqueness in their own way. All the products folded, all were made to be used outdoors as well as indoors, and all were highly portable.

Hoohobbers product uniqueness proved to be a hurdle to overcome, however: there was no established market for this kind of product, and at first appearance the distinctiveness and utility of Hoohobbers products were not totally apparent. Here were items that constituted an entirely new product concept. A concept consumers ultimately adopted, as it was totally consistent with the increasing mobility of American households and an emerging awareness of the tremendous advantage offered by product-compactness.

Accolades followed, including over 75 awarded patents, Best Design Awards from America's Juvenile Products Association, Parents Choice Awards, repeated awards from various juvenile industry magazines, frequent editorial recommendation, even jury-selection into the permanent product collection of MOMA, America's leading modern art museum in New York. As for product quality, Hoohobbers has never had a product recall. And product returns are virtually non-existent.

Beginning in the late 1980's soft goods were developed. These include crib bedding, diaper bags, Moses baskets, cradle, port-a-crib and bassinet linens, receiving blankets, hooded baby towels, lunch boxes and bibs, plus related room decor items such as drapes and valances, ottomans, throw pillows and floor lamps. Later, personalizing services were also added with embroidery becoming a 'must have' product enhancement in recent years.

As the company grew and the product-line expanded, Judy sold a personnel-placement company she had started and moved over to Hoohobbers full-time. As head designer she is now responsible for creating all design collections, which she refreshes with new collections at least twice annually. A notable, recent inspiration: a line of washable linen bedding customers themselves design right here on our web site.

All Hoohobbers products continue to share not only the same high-design commitment but are offered in the same colors or design collections. This creates the ability for a customer to create an entire houseful of childrens products with a single design statement! Today, Hoohobbers offers its products in over 25 distinct, classic to contemporary design collections, products purchased for home use and as gifts by people who appreciate fine design. Indeed, as an interesting side-note, Hoohobbers has many customers who have been purchasing that first chair and other items for decades, some sending 35 chairs and more over the years as their standard, 'go-to' newborn and birthday gift.

Since its founding Hoohobbers has maintained its commitment to generating incomes at home for both its employees and its suppliers by manufacturing in America, at Hoohobbers Chicago factory.

And today, those two girls no longer need boosters at Thanksgiving, though a couple of their children have. The little 1970 toddlers -along with their younger brother- are now intimately involved at Hoohobbers. And if you peruse Hoohobbers web site closely enough you may still spot a picture or two of them from their toddler-modeling days alongside pictures of their own children. Generation to generation, Hoohobbers products continue meeting the real world needs of kids.

We are so grateful for the continuing support of our long-time, dedicated Hoohobbers loyalists as well as all our new customers who hear of us year after year, Judy says. And to have our children now working with us?we have so much for which to be thankful.

One of the products Jensen Steam Engines sells is American Made Steam Engines. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Jensen Steam Engines and its Made in the USA products see the following:

Hello, Fellow Steamer and welcome to Jensen Steam Engine Mfg. Company's Web Site... our first venture into modern technology. Throughout our rich 81 year history, Dad, our Jensen Steam Team and I have never wavered in our goal to make the finest, ready-to-run, stationary model Steam Engines, Steam Turbines & miniature Power Generating Plants in the world. Our longevity and continued growth attest to meeting these challenges. Not only are we the last remaining American manufacturer of it's kind, but we still use the original tooling, dies and hand craftsmanship for which we are known. This attention to quality and detail makes our legendary engines highly prized by the hobbyist, student, educator, power plant operator, engineer and collector. Our solid brass and nickel plated Steam Engines are produced in limited quantities, with prices starting at only $128.95, (far less than the imports), yet our quality and power are vastly superior.

Now we've made it even easier to shop for your new Jensen Steam Engine and accessories, by integrating our secure encrypted shopping cart more fully into the web site. You can now shop from nearly any page where our products are displayed, and then use the Continue Shopping button to surf until you are ready to check out.

You can also have a JENSEN CATALOG instantly by simply clicking on the new, Print This Page buttons on each machine's specification page. Plus, you can always E-mail us or give our Customer Support line a call, if you would like further information concerning Jensen Steam Engines. Now!...Hold On!!!... for a unique adventure awaits you as you explore our Online Interactive Catalog.

Enjoy!...and Happy Steam'n,
Tom Jensen, Jr., Mechanical Engineer, President

One of the products Johnson Woolen Mills sells is American Made Teddy Bears. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Johnson Woolen Mills and its Made in America products see the following:

Located in the village of Johnson, just north of the skiing mecca of Stowe, the clothing company still makes the same woolen shirts, jackets and the famous iceman's pants that have been best sellers for nearly 50 years. The heavy, 28 ounce forest green pants were named for the men who wore them while cutting blocks of ice from frozen ponds and lakes. In spite of the fact that icemen no longer ply their trade on those frozen expanses, the Johnson mill is still selling plenty of the amazingly thick, warm pants and much more old-fashioned cold weather gear as well. The mill's early owners catered to fishermen working in winter camps in sub-zero temperatures. Today's fourth generation ownership sells its products to cross-country skiers, snowboarders,hunters, ice fishermen, winter runnersessentially to a new generation of outdoors, sports-minded people who refuse to stay in the house in bad weather. As Vermonters well know, in order to survive winter, you must find something that you like to do outside. It's really that simple. And although the character of the customer has changed, the pants and heavy coats, shirts and jackets, are still essentially the same as they have been for over a century and a half. You may now see our clothing in an ever-increasing number of urban centers across the country as the concept of made in America takes on a special significance with the American consumer.

Beginning in Johnson
Vermont native Stacy Barrows Manosh is the fourth generation owner of the mill, bought by her great-grandfather Delmer A. Barrows in 1908. The mill had its beginnings as one of many making fabrics from the wool of local sheep. The clapboards of the old mill are painted to read: Founded 1842. The company's manufacturing now goes on in a more modern building next door to the original mill, which is now a company store and popular tourist destination. Workers in the new mill do the cutting, sewing, piecing, serging, and finishing of traditionally patterned, checked, and plaid hunting clothes, all made of a material that is 80 to 85 percent wool. The company store displays all of the freshly made winter garmets in a welcoming atmosphere of deep reds and greens that stand out against pine boarded walls and polished floors.

Traditional Tailoring
On the production line in the new building, a garment starts at one end of a room the length of a football field and is passed up the line of workers, each at a work table specializing in a single tailoring operation. Pieces are first cut from patterns on an amazing, bowling alley-like cutting table over 50 feet long, made of maple and birch flooring which was put in before the building was completed. otherwise, it never would have fit through the doorway. We have our own way of cutting and sewing garmets, according to Del Barrows, third generation owner and father to Stacy. A lot of people would like to know exactly how we do it. It takes about a week from the time the cloth is cut from huge 40 foot bolts of wool to the moment the Johnson tag is sewn in a garment. Stacks of bright green and red collars, cuffs and sleeves are ready to be sewn together for Johnson jackets. Well-worn cardboard patterns hang on the wall, used for the cutting of the traditional clothing made at the mill. Some of them are 50 years old and the styles they represent go back a century and a half to the days when the mill was first established, using water power on the banks of the Gihon river. With true Yankee frugality and good business sense, nothing is wasted at the mill. From the discarded ends of materials, mittens can be made, some by cottage-industry workers who freelance for the mill from their homes. Other scraps are bagged and sent off to a specialized factory to be ground up and recycled, still others end up in wool rugs.

Century-Old Patterns
Many of the plaids and patterns have been traditional with the company for at least a century. One of the few changes in Johnson's wool has been the addition of some nylon for added strength. Another change has been the cutting back of the thickness of some of its garments. According to Mr. Barrows, some of the pants we used to make we don't make any more because they were so heavy. Today, instead of the heaviest pants, people wear insulated underwear with somewhat lighter-weight outer pants. Although Johnson Woolen Mills supplies such big names as L.L. Bean, there are numerous small mom & pop stores among Johnson's retail outlets. Company officials say that because of the relatively small size of Johnson Woolen Mills, they can do many things that larger companies simply can't or won't do. In addition to opening a new manufacturing facility in the mid 1980s, the main innovation at the mill has been the addition of a ladies' line and a childrens' line. Because of the addition of the new lines, a new color pallet made up of softer colors was introduced including light blues and violets.. .a real shocker for some of the company's traditional customers who were used to the traditional hunting patterns.

Barrows Famiy Ties
We're native Vermonters. We go back to the 1790s said Stacy Barrows Manosh. The family came over here from England and settled in Irasburg, VT. My great-great-grandfather is buried there. They were farmers and then my great-grandfather became a retailer and he owned a store in Woodsville, NH. About 1905, this great-grandfather bought a half interest in the Johnson mill from its owner I.L. Pearl, and in 1907 he bought Pearl out altogether and changed the name to Johnson Woolen Mills to better represent what the company did. And now, over a century and a half and four generations later, Johnson Woolen Mills continues making world famous products, integrating old world values with new world ideas, all with a very bright eye to the future.

One of the products Kadee sells is American Made Model Train Couplers. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Kadee and its Made in the USA products see the following:

Model Railroading is a continually growing hobby beginning sometime in the early 1900's and has grown to the present day and it will continue into the distant future.
Manufactured models began as basic toy like models that could hardly be considered representative of the prototypes. Now days we have models that are so accurate that they are compared directly to the prototypes in almost every detail. Unfortunately, couplers did not advance at the same speed as the models and the industry suffered for a long time without a reliable functioning knuckle coupler.
Modelers that have been in the hobby for a long time will remember the situation in the old days when, generally, couplers were not very reliable, realistic, or automatic.
When Kadee? Quality Products was formed it was with the idea of providing a reliable, realistic, automatic coupler and since 1947 Kadee? has remained a leader within the hobby. Our earliest version of a knuckle coupler, the K series prototype was the first to combine a realistic looking and fully functioning device just like the real ones.

Dale Edwards - Founder & President - Kadee? Quality Products Co.

Kadee? Quality Products Co. History
Dale Edwards, with his twin brother Keith, began making HO turnout kits in 1940, naming their new company with their initials (KADEE). The company suspended production for the duration while the brothers served in the Army AIR CORP.
In the late 1940s, they moved their company to Spokane, Washington. After a long Cold winter, they decided to move back to the LA area. There the brothers continued to learn the machinist trade and wanted to develop a scale coupler like the ones they saw everyday on the Big railroad cars. After months of development they took there creation to a local dealer for his approval and feedback. Unfortunately, the dealer said, you have nothing. Go back to the drawing board and make something that looks and operates like the real thing. Not being ones to give up (Persistence), they put there heads together and came up with a metal knuckle working coupler and brought it back to the hobby shop some 3 months later. The owner said, Now that's what we need and I will take 3000 pairs.
Now that was a huge undertaking but they were up to the challenge and that creation helped advanced model railroading to an operating hobby. The two continued in innovating products unique to the hobby. The brothers moved their company to Medford, Oregon, in 1955. In 1956, an improved version of the knuckle coupler was the no.5 with a metal knuckle spring and magnetic action to open and delay the coupler to un-couple and park cars anywhere on a layout. This Patented Design MAGNE-MATIC is the system by which all other companies have tried to emulate.
Now Fully Committed, In 1961, Kadee produced a spiking tool that simplified track laying. This tool was one that worked similar to a large hand stapler that drove miniature spikes over the toe of the rail holding it in place. In the mid 70's they produced a line of freight cars that were noted for their detail and accuracy in N scale (1:160). These Micro-Trains were the finest detailed Ready to Run Rolling stock to be built.
Because of there Innovation & Commitment and TREMENDOUS success over the past two decades the brothers chose to split the company in 1990. Dale Purchased land and built a new building relocating Kadee? Quality Products Company in White City, OR a short distance from the original facility in Medford. He and his oldest Son Larry continued to build Kadee. Dale was the president, Larry, who had worked in the company for over 16 years after graduating from OSU became the Production Manager, Dale's wife was 1st Vice President, the daughters 2nd & 3rd Vice Presidents and the oldest daughter Secretary, rounding out the Board of Directors. The split meant NO More Small Scale Boxcars as that portion of the business went to Micro-Trains.
With the impending expiration of the Coupler Patent in 1997, Dale and Larry knew they would have to be INNOVATIVE and add HO (1:87.1) scale RTR plastic freight cars to the line. This would be a major commitment.