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Moss Tent Works records and photographs, 1923-2012

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Moss, Charles William, 1923-1994; Moss, Marilyn
Title
Moss Tent Works records and photographs
Dates
1923-2012 (inclusive)
Quantity
40.5 linear feet, (85 boxes, 1 map cabinet drawer)
Collection Number
UUS_ORA 015
Summary
The Moss Tent Works Records document the early professional activities of the company's founder, Bill Moss; the development and iterations of the Moss Tents company; the designs and marketing of Moss products; and formal company records, including sales and financial documents.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Languages
English
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Content Description

The Moss Tent Works Records document the early professional activities of the company's founder, Bill Moss; the development and iterations of the Moss Tents company; the designs and marketing of Moss products; and formal company records, including sales and financial documents. The records are significant for documenting the development of camping and recreational tent equipment and technology. This collection also contains a large number of photos, slides, negatives, transparencies, and video cassettes. Many were used to create advertising and publicity materials for Moss Tent Works, and later, Moss Inc. Tents and exhibition structures serve as the main subject, but also included are images of Moss company staff and employees, warehouses, as well as the design and construction of products.

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Historical Note

Moss Tent Works was founded in 1975 in Camden, Maine, under the name Tent Works Ltd by fabric artist and designer Bill Moss with his wife and business partner, Marilyn Moss. Over the next four decades, the company changed its name to Moss Tent Works, Moss Inc., and Moss Design International. Initially, the company designed and produced innovative, high-performance camping tents, backyard and beach products, and architectural canopies, but later expanded into trade show exhibits.

Charles William (Bill) Moss was born in 1923 in Detroit, Michigan. He studied art at the University of Michigan, the Layton School of Art, and the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Between 1949 and 1955, Bill worked as an artist for the Ford Times. During this time, Bill developed a new technology known as tension fabric, which he used in his design for the Pop-Up Tent (or Pop Tent) in 1955. After the success of this tent, he established his own design firm, C. William Moss Associates, in 1960 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1965, Bill founded and officially incorporated Moss Tents, Inc. with his business partner Paul F. Lohmann. In 1975, Bill and his wife and business partner, Marilyn Moss, co-founded Tent Works Ltd, which was soon renamed Moss Tent Works and incorporated as Moss Inc. in 1977. Bill left the company in 1983 and later worked as a painter and designer in Arizona until his death in 1994 at the age of 72.

Marilyn Moss joined C. William Moss Associates in 1961 and co-founded Moss Tent Works with Bill Moss in 1975. She went on to serve as president and CEO of Moss Inc in 1983 and a few years later diversified the business by introducing tension fabric technology to the worldwide trade show industry. This was so successful that the company eventually sold its tent division to REI in 1994 and began focusing exclusively on trade show exhibits. Moss Inc. grew to have 164 employees and revenues of $15 million, and in 2000 was sold in a successful equity investment transaction. Marilyn retired in 2001.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Moss Tent Works Papers must be obtained from the Outdoor Recreation Archive Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation:Moss Tent Works Papers USU_ORA 015. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_ORA 015, USUSCA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Moss Tent Works Records are arranged into 10 series: Company Documents, International Work, Product Files, Exhibits, Advertising and Marketing, Legal, Financials, Correspondence, Oversized and Audiovisual Materials, Photographs and other images.

Acquisition Information

These materials were donated to USU Special Collections and Archives by Jeffrey and Marilyn Moss in 2021.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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Subject Terms

  • Outdoor recreation industry--photographs.
  • Outdoor recreation industry.
  • Outdoor recreation--Equipment and supplies.

Titles within the Collection

  • Moss Tent Works

Finding Aid Written by Heather Housley, Talyn Hawkes, and Clint Pumphrey
2022, 2024

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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