Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library
5933 6th Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98108
Phone: 206-324-1126
URL: http://www.mohai.org
2004.27
PSF Industries, Inc. ;
PSF Mechanical, Inc.
PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical, Inc. Records
1900-2003
3 boxes
1 linear foot
Papers and photographs related to the first 100 years of the history of the two
related companies PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical, Inc.
15a.2.6
VI.a.12 Collection materials are in
English.
Historical Note:
Puget Sound Sheet Metal Works Company was founded in 1900 by Edward Hite, Robert S. Raven, and Joseph W.
Callahan and incorporated in 1902 as Puget Sound Sheet Metal Works, Inc. (PSSMW) by Raven, Hite, and David Bowen. Bowen
led the company until his death in 1944; his son Harry was also on the Board (eventually becoming president) until
shortly before his death in 1956. PSSMW began as a sheet metal and roofing company, but over the course of its history
the company was involved a wide variety of projects, including the manufacture of stainless steel brewing equipment
beginning in the 1930s and special train cars to transport 747 parts. During World War I and World War II, the company
produced war-related materials such as lifeboats and aircraft parts.
In its early years, PSSMW was located at 1328 Western Avenue (1900-1905), Railroad, Wall, and Elliot Avenues
(1909-1918: in one building 1905-1909, and in a new building after the first one was destroyed by fire in 1909), and
3631 E. Marginal Way (1918-1945). During World War II, the company also established aircraft part manufacturing
facilities at First Avenue S. and Spokane Street, and Airport Way and Hardy Street. In 1949 the company opened a new
plant at 3670 E. Marginal Way after the old one was destroyed by fire.
After Harry Bowen’s resignation as president in 1955, his son-in-law Gordon Anderson became president and
changed the company’s name to Puget Sound Fabricators, Inc (by that point, sheet metal was only a small percentage of
PSF’s business). Although Anderson remained president, Bowen’s death in 1956 led to a struggle with Pacific National
Bank for control of the company and financial problems during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Anderson regained control
of PSF from the bank, but sold his shares in the company to Jim Beardsley shortly thereafter in 1964; Beardsley became
president and majority owner. He established a new plant and offices at 65 S. Horton Street in 1965, which was followed
by another name change to PSF Industries, Inc in 1967. In 1991, the mechanical contracting division became a separate
company called PSF Mechanical, headed by Warren Beardsley. 1995 brought changes in company leadership as Jim Critchlow
became president and CEO of PSFM and Stanley R. Miller purchased PSFI from Jim Beardsley.
(adapted from
The First One Hundred Years: History of PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical,
Inc., by Nile Thompson)
This collection documents the history of the companies known today as PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical,
Inc. These materials include records from this same body under three previous names: Puget Sound Sheet Metal Company
(1900-1902), Puget Sound Sheet Metal Works, Inc. (1902-1955), and Puget Sound Fabricators, Inc. (1955-1966).
As a part of PSF’s one-hundredth anniversary celebrations, Nile Thompson wrote a history of the company from
1900-2000 entitled
The First One Hundred Years: A History of PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical,
Inc. The PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical, Inc. Records contain items assembled and used by Thompson in
writing the history, as well as a copy of the book itself. The collection contains over 40 photographs of work done by
PSF (including both finished projects and work in progress) as well as an album of photographs of PSSMW’s history prior
to 1945, which depict life around the office and manufacturing plants as well as work completed (with series of
photographs related to PSSMW during World War I and World War II). In addition to the photographs, the collection
contains flyers and advertisements for PSF’s work, articles that reference the company, and company documents such as a
bid book and a book of stock certificates (the majority of these items date from the first 60 years of the company’s
history). The collection also contains 13 folders of notes and partial transcripts produced from oral history
interviews with current and former PSF employees and owners (Nile Thompson conducted the interviews in the course of
researching PSF’s history for
The First One Hundred Years).
Arranged in four series:
- Photograph Albums
- Photographs
- Research Materials
- Papers and Publications
View selections from the collection in digital format by clicking on the camera icons in the inventory
below.
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes
available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI
before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections.
In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical, Inc. Records, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Received from PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical, Inc. on August 25, 2004.
The photograph album (2004.27.1) was disassembled in 2022 due to deterioration of the covers, and the
photographs placed in order into archival folders.
2 oversize calendars have been moved to the poster drawer.
Thompson, Nile.
The First One Hundred Years: A History of PSF Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical,
Inc. Seattle: Elton-Wood Publishing, 2002.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials
about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Puget Sound Sheet Metal Works
PSF Industries, Inc.
PSF Mechanical, Inc.
Seattle (Wash.)
Metallurgical industry--Washington (State)--Seattle
Industrial facilities--Washington (State)--Seattle
Puget Sound Sheet Metal Works -- History
PSF Industries, Inc. -- History
PSF Mechanical, Inc. -- History
Oral History--Washington (State)--Seattle
Seattle
Photographs
Oral Histories
Photographic prints
Photograph albums
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
PSF will be used here to indicate materials related to the companies currently known as PSF Industries, Inc.
and PSF Mechanical, Inc. as well as all of their predecessors, PSSMW will be used with materials related to Puget Sound
Sheet Metal Works Company and Puget Sound Sheet Metal Works, Inc. only, and PSFI and PSFM will be used for PSF
Industries, Inc. and PSF Mechanical, Inc. respectively.
Photograph Albums
1900-1945
Dudley, Roger
1 album containing 71 photographs concerning PSSMW’s history. Some photographs are Dudley’s reprints of
earlier photos (unknown creator).
1
2004.27.1
Puget Sound Sheet Metal Works photograph album
1900-1945
1/1
2004.27.1.1
David Bowen
undated
1/1
2004.27.1.2-.4
Pre-fire plant locations
1900-1909
1/1
2004.27.1.5-.8
Railroad Fire
1909
1/1-2
2004.27.1.9-.14
Second railroad building & World War I manufacturing
1909-1918
1/2
2004.27.1.15-.18
Exterior photographs of E. Marginal Way plant
1918-1945
1/3
2004.27.1.21-.28
Interior views of E. Marginal Way plant
1918-1945
1/2-5
2004.27.1.19-.20 and 2004.27.1.29-.52
World War II aircraft parts plants
1940-1945
1/6-8
2004.27.1.53-.71
Innovations developed by company to save time and labor
undated
Photographs
1947-2003
Black/white 8x10 photographs of work done by PSF except as noted.
1/9
2004.27.2
PSFI Brewery tanks
undated
1/10
2004.27.3
PSFI Welding
undated
1/11
2004.27.4
PSFI Interior of brew kettle metal fabricating
1975
1/12
2004.27.5
PSFI Two men in shop
undated
1/13
2004.27.6
PSFI Man welding in shop
undated
1/14
2004.27.7
PSFI
undated
1/15
2004.27.8
PSFI Man welding in shop
undated
1/16
2004.27.9
PSFI
undated
1/17
2004.27.10
PSFI Brewery tank
undated
1/18
2004.27.11
PSFI Three men welding on floor
undated
1/19
2004.27.12
PSFI
undated
1/20
2004.27.13
PSFI Man marking a board
undated
1/21
2004.27.14
PSFI Utility evaporator tank loaded on truck outside shop
1973
1/22
2004.27.15
PSFM Sheet metal in shop
undated
1/23
2004.27.16
PSFM Duct work
1982-1987
1/24
2004.27.17
PSFM Sheet metal
undated
1/25
2004.27.18
PSFM Metalwork & air conditioning, Internat’l House of Pancakes,
Sea-Tac Mall, Federal Way Washington
mid-1970s
1/26
2004.27.19
PSFM Metalwork & air conditioning, Lamonts, Sea-Tac Mall, Federal Way
Washington
mid-1970s
1/27
2004.27.20
PSFM Bronze work, University of Washington Admissions Building, Seattle
Washington
1947-1949
1/28
2004.27.21
PSFM Industrial metalwork, Pacific First Federal Savings, Seattle
Washington
mid-1970s
1/29
2004.27.22
PSFM Industrial metalwork, St. James Cathedral, Seattle
Washington
mid-1970s
1/30
2004.27.23
PSFM industrial metalwork, Kent City Library, Kent Washington
mid-1970s
1/31
2004.27.24
PSFM Industrial metalwork, Nordstrom, Seattle Washington
early 1970s
1/32
2004.27.25
PSFM Duct work
mid-1970s
1/33
2004.27.26
PSFM Man working with sheet metal
mid-1970s
1/34
2004.27.27
Man working with sheet metal
mid-1970s
1/35
2004.27.28
Hand & sheet metal (detail)
mid-1970s
1/36
2004.27.29
Woman and man drafting
mid-1970s
1/37
2004.27.30
PSFI Interior with industrial metalwork
undated
1/38
2004.27.31
PSFI Tanks
undated
3x5 black and white
1/39
2004.27.32
PSFI Industrial metalwork close-up
undated
1/40
2004.27.33
PSFI Cranes installing metalwork
undated
1/41
2004.27.34
PSFI Installation
undated
1/42
2004.27.35
PSFI Man & equipment in shop
undated
1/43
2004.27.36
PSFI Office & shop (exterior)
undated
1/44
2004.27.37
PSFM Staff at PSF First 100 Years Celebration
2003 March 8
Color photograph
1/45
2004.27.39
PSFM & PSFI retirees at PSF First 100 Years Celebration
2003 March 8
Color photograph
1/46
2004.27.39
PSF past & present owners at PSF First 100 Years
Celebration
2003 March 8
Color photograph
1/47
2004.27.40
Bowen family at PSF First 100 Years Celebration
2003 March 8
Color photograph
3/10
2004.27.60
Bob Burd, PSF employee
undated
Color laser print
3/14
2004.27.64
PSF tanks installed at Olympia Brewery
1966-1967
2 photocopied photographs
3/16
2004.27.66
Christmas lunch at Construction Division’s new offices
1975 December
Small Polaroid snapshot
3/22
2004.27.72
Job site
undated
5 photographs
3/25
2004.27.75
New heat exchanger, Asarco smelter installation, El Paso, Texas
1996
Color photograph
Research Materials
2000-2002
Materials related to
The First One Hundred Years
Oral History Interviews
2000-2001
Field notes and partial tape transcriptions of oral history interviews conducted by Nile Thompson.
Arranged in alphabetical order by interviewee's last name.
2/3
Greg Beardsley
2000 July 25
2/4
Jim Beardsley
2000 June 6 – 2001 October 22
9 interviews
2/5
Warren Beardsley
2000 July 11
2/6
Bill Bisyak
2001 January 23
2/7
Bob Burd
2000 June 1,
2000 June 5
2 interviews
2/8
Tim Burns
2001 July 11
2/9
Dorothy Buzzard
2000 June 27
2/10
Virginia Caley
2000 June 26
2/11
Jim Clark
2000 June 22,
2001 May 30
2 interviews
2/12
Jim Critchlow
2000 July 11,
2001 June 1
2 interviews
2/13
Harry Diehm
2000 June 26,
2000 July 10
2 interviews
2
Copy of
The First One Hundred Years by Nile Thompson
2002
3/24
Early working draft of chapter 24 of
The First One Hundred Years by Nile Thompson and related
materials
circa 2001
Papers and Publications
1900-2001
Includes flyers and advertisements for PSF’s work, articles that reference the company, and company papers
such as a bid book and a book of stock certificates.
2/1
Company bid book
1931-1936
2/2
Original stock certificate book (certificates 1-46)
1902-1907
2/21
PSF Industries brochures
1975-2000
5 brochures
2/22
Puget Sound Sheet Metal Works brochure
undated
8-page color brochure
2/23
PSF Mechanical brochures with list of company projects & business
card for James D. Critchlow, VP/General Manager
circa 1990,
circa 2000
2 brochures
2/24
PSF building & equipment sale flyer
1963
2/25
PSFM quarterly newsletters
2001-2003
7 newsletters
2/26
PSFI quarterly newsletters
1999-2000
2 newsletters
3/1
PSFI “Qualification Book” submitted to BP Amoco Oil Company
1999 April 26
Book contains scanned photos of site installations
PSFM project specifications
circa 2000
3/2
DeVry Technical College (Federal Way, Washington)
circa 2000
3/2
1700 7th Ave (Seattle, Washington)
circa 2000
3/2
Capital One Processing Center (Federal Way, Washington)
circa 2000
3/3
Corporate minutes, notes, & clippings from PSSMW
1941-1955
Photocopies
3/4
PSF general ledger
1953-1956
3/5
PSF private ledger
1957 December 31
3/6
Daily Journal of Commerce article, “Sheet Metal Firm Acquires Site for
Expansion”
1946 October 28
Articles of Incorporation
1901-1902
Photocopies
3/7
Puget Sound Roofing & Refining Co
1901 May 25
3/7
PSSMW
1902 March 28
PSFI Letters of Compliment
1976-1987
5 letters
Photocopies
3/8
Weyerhaeuser (Springfield, Oregon)
1984 February 17
3/8
Union Carbide Corporation (Magna, Utah)
1986 December 12
3/8
Western Kraft Paper Group (Salem, Oregon)
1976 March 18
3/8
Pope & Talbot, Inc. (Portland, Oregon)
1985 November 15
3/8
Boise Cascade Paper Group (St. Helens, Oregon)
1987 February 3
3/9
PSFI birthday log
1971 December
3/11
“A Tank Farm on a Roof” by George T. Dexter & William T.
Hamilton
1973 August
Article reprint from
Brewer’s Digest
3/12
PSFI hire/termination log
circa 1997
3/13
Average labor/hour: sheet metal vs. boilermakers
1938-1957
3/15
Newspaper clippings about PSFI special 747 railroad cars
1967
3 photocopied clippings
Company histories
1907-1997
Written by/based on drafts by George Taylor
3/16
From
King County and its Emerald City, Seattle
1997
3/16
From unknown book
undated
3/16
From
Sketches of Washingtonians
1907
3/18
Newspaper articles
1961-1973
6 photocopies, 9 originals
PSFM employee documents
2000
3/19
Office Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual
2000 June 15
3/19
Employee’s Expense Report (blank)
undated
3/19
Personal History & Hire Record (blank)
undated
PSFM management documents
undated
3/20
Quotation form/terms & conditions on reverse
undated
3/20
Company letterhead (blank)
undated
3/20
Business card: Marsha L. Stubbins, Office Manager
undated
3/20
Job expenditures tracking form
undated
3/21
PSFM flyer on HVAC design, fabrication & installation
circa 1991
2 copies
1 copy from when Mechanical Design Division was part of PSFI; 1 copy with taped on new name, logo, &
address for PSFM
3/23
PSSMW Time book
1919-1922
3/26
Article from Wilhelm Trucking Co. Newsletter about installation of PSF
brew kettle
1970
Original pasted to cardstock
3/27
PSFI 75th anniversary invitation and guest list
1975 November 1
3/28
Seattle Business magazine (articles on Seattle’s business
pioneers)
1976 August 9
3/29
Articles from business publications
1970
VIa.12
PSFI calendars
2000,
2001
2 calendars