Parris Manufacturing Company
Encyclopedia
The Parris Manufacturing Company of Savannah, Tennessee
is an American company that primarily manufactures toys.
. With the start of World War I, Dunn created the Dunn Counterbalance Company that operated out of the hardware store until he built a factory in Clarinda and renamed his company the Dunn Manufacturing Company. Dunn was responsible for 48 patents, 7 to do with wind power. The Dunn Manufacturing Company also built a 3 seat Cruzeaire Monoplane in 1928.
In 1936 Dunn teamed up with Cecil Lewis "Catfish" Parris, a marketing specialist, to form the Parris-Dunn company. The company was formed with Parris as President and Dunn as Vice President to sell a wind driven generator
for farms to recharge electrical items. The Dunn Governing Principle was able to use a controllable propellor speed with fewer moving parts than other wind generators. The idea was successful with over 37,000 units created the next year that were sold throughout the USA and foreign countries. Philco
Electronics contracted with Parris-Dunn to put their well known name on their "Skychargers" and marketed the items to their customers.
s with wood and metal that copied the M1903 Springfield.
Impressed by the rifles made for the US Army, the US Navy contacted Parris-Dunn in June 1942 to order their own rifles that they insisted have bayonet studs, adjustable rear sights, and working triggers with a clicker mechanism; the weapon becoming the USN MK 1 Dummy Training Rifle. The Navy ordered 190,000 for their first order. A plastic copy of the M1905 bayonet
and scabbard was manufactured
by the Pro-Phy-Lac-Tic Brush Company
who usually manufactured toothbrush
es. With walnut
in high demand for real rifles, Parris-Dunn used cheaper wood further reducing the cost of the rifles.
Over 500,000 rifles were produced with Parris-Dunn being awarded the Army-Navy ‘E’ Award
.
popguns of a Western style that shot corks for the use of children and travelling carnivals. Parris had Cowboy models called Cowboy Pla Guns, Trainerifles, and Shootrite guns in larger sizes for adults to practice cork gun marksmanship indoors.
Dunn retired in 1949 with Parris moving the company to Savannah, Tennessee where it remains.
During the Civil War Centennial
the company manufactured replica cork shooting Civil War muskets and pistols.
The company manufactured full size replicas of the M1903 Springfield and smaller sized models for children that featured a working bolt with a dummy bullet, leather sling, the clicker action, and a smaller rubber bayonet similar in to the M1 bayonet
.
In the 1960s Parris used the cork gun design to make several types of BB gun
s.
So much of the mail to the Parris Manufacturing Company was missent to Savannah, Georgia
that Cecil Parris visited the local post office and had the postmaster add "Catfish Capital of the World" to the postmark
.
for Customs Comics Inc. telling the story of an imaginary boy named Bob Duncan who became a Kadet and advanced to the rank of Captain. The comic book featured instructions how to do the American manual of arms
and offered the full range of Kadet Trainer Rifles, cork firing weapons, rank insignia, and dress and fatigue uniforms for both girls and boys featuring a white riding helmet. The brochure also featured a Kadet Officer's Training School located on a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) farm in Savannah and a Kadet song. From 1953 to around 1970 when the programme ended, the Kadets had over 16,000 members.
Savannah, Tennessee
Savannah is a city in Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,917 at the 2000 census and the 2007 population estimate was 7,262. It is the county seat of Hardin County. Savannah hosted the NAIA college football national championship game from 1996-2007. Savannah is home to...
is an American company that primarily manufactures toys.
History
Iowa inventor William G. Dunn (1883–1968) originally owned a hardware business in Clarinda, IowaClarinda, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 5,572 in the city, with a population density of . There were 2,180 housing units, of which 1,928 were occupied....
. With the start of World War I, Dunn created the Dunn Counterbalance Company that operated out of the hardware store until he built a factory in Clarinda and renamed his company the Dunn Manufacturing Company. Dunn was responsible for 48 patents, 7 to do with wind power. The Dunn Manufacturing Company also built a 3 seat Cruzeaire Monoplane in 1928.
In 1936 Dunn teamed up with Cecil Lewis "Catfish" Parris, a marketing specialist, to form the Parris-Dunn company. The company was formed with Parris as President and Dunn as Vice President to sell a wind driven generator
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
for farms to recharge electrical items. The Dunn Governing Principle was able to use a controllable propellor speed with fewer moving parts than other wind generators. The idea was successful with over 37,000 units created the next year that were sold throughout the USA and foreign countries. Philco
Philco
Philco, the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company , was a pioneer in early battery, radio, and television production as well as former employer of Philo Farnsworth, inventor of cathode ray tube television...
Electronics contracted with Parris-Dunn to put their well known name on their "Skychargers" and marketed the items to their customers.
World War II
With surplus American arms sent to England and other countries prior to America's involvement in World War II, the American military suffered a severe shortage of rifles. As the U.S. Government decided that wind generators were not a priority item, Parris-Dunn could only manufacture spare parts for the ones in use. When the company sought some war work the government recommended making dummy training rifleDrill Purpose Rifle
The Drill Purpose Rifle is a definition given to a rifle which has been altered so that it can no longer be fired. Instead it is used solely for drill purposes, training and teaching usually by cadet forces.-United Kingdom:...
s with wood and metal that copied the M1903 Springfield.
Impressed by the rifles made for the US Army, the US Navy contacted Parris-Dunn in June 1942 to order their own rifles that they insisted have bayonet studs, adjustable rear sights, and working triggers with a clicker mechanism; the weapon becoming the USN MK 1 Dummy Training Rifle. The Navy ordered 190,000 for their first order. A plastic copy of the M1905 bayonet
M1905 Bayonet
The M1905 Bayonet was designed to be used with the .30 caliber U.S. M1903 Springfield rifle. Variants of the M1903 rifle were produced during World War I and World War II by Springfield Armory, Remington Arms, Rock Island Arsenal, and Smith-Corona Typewriter. The blade is 16 inches long, and the...
and scabbard was manufactured
by the Pro-Phy-Lac-Tic Brush Company
Pro-Phy-Lac-Tic Brush Company
Pro-Phy-Lac-Tic Brush Company was a health care business established in 1866. Makers of a highly advertised Pro-phy-lac-tic toothbrush, it was acquired by the Lambert Pharmaceutical Co. on February 19, 1930. Based in Florence, Massachusetts, the firm was first called the Florence Manufacturing...
who usually manufactured toothbrush
Toothbrush
The toothbrush is an oral hygiene instrument used to clean the teeth and gums that consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles mounted on a handle, which facilitates the cleansing of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Toothpaste, which often contains fluoride, is commonly used in conjunction...
es. With walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
in high demand for real rifles, Parris-Dunn used cheaper wood further reducing the cost of the rifles.
Over 500,000 rifles were produced with Parris-Dunn being awarded the Army-Navy ‘E’ Award
Army-Navy ‘E’ Award
The Army-Navy "E" Award was an honor presented to a company during World War II for excellence in production of war equipment. The award was also known as the Army-Navy Production Award. The award would consist of a pennant for the plant and emblems for all employees in the plant at the time the...
.
Postwar
With the end of the war, the training rifles were sold as surplus. From 1943, Parris had approached the company's chief engineer, Maurice Greiman with the idea of Parris-Dunn manufacturing toy weaponToy weapon
Toy weapons are toys that mimic real weapons, but are designed to be fun for children to play with and not dangerous.-Types of toy weapons:Some are essentially similar to the real thing, but less powerful. Weapons for cutting and stabbing have dull blades usually in plastic. Weapons formerly made...
popguns of a Western style that shot corks for the use of children and travelling carnivals. Parris had Cowboy models called Cowboy Pla Guns, Trainerifles, and Shootrite guns in larger sizes for adults to practice cork gun marksmanship indoors.
Dunn retired in 1949 with Parris moving the company to Savannah, Tennessee where it remains.
During the Civil War Centennial
American Civil War Centennial
The American Civil War Centennial was the official United States commemoration of the American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States...
the company manufactured replica cork shooting Civil War muskets and pistols.
The company manufactured full size replicas of the M1903 Springfield and smaller sized models for children that featured a working bolt with a dummy bullet, leather sling, the clicker action, and a smaller rubber bayonet similar in to the M1 bayonet
M1 Bayonet
The M1 Bayonet was designed to be used with the .30 caliber U.S. Rifle M1. The blade is 10 inches long, and the handle is 4 inches long....
.
In the 1960s Parris used the cork gun design to make several types of BB gun
BB gun
BB guns are a type of air gun designed to shoot projectiles named BBs after the birdshot pellet of approximately the same size. These projectiles are usually spherical but can also be pointed; those are usually used for bird hunting. Modern day BB guns usually have a smoothbore barrel, with a bore...
s.
So much of the mail to the Parris Manufacturing Company was missent to Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
that Cecil Parris visited the local post office and had the postmaster add "Catfish Capital of the World" to the postmark
Postmark
thumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
.
Kadets of America
In 1953 Parris started the idea of Kadet Military Drill Teams that communities could form. Purchasers of Kadet toy weapons would receive a free comic book drawn by Kurt SchaffenbergerKurt Schaffenberger
Kurt Schaffenberger was an American comic book artist. Schaffenberger was best known for his work on Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family , as well as his work on the title Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane during the 1950s and 1960s.-Early career:Schaffenberger was born on a farm in the...
for Customs Comics Inc. telling the story of an imaginary boy named Bob Duncan who became a Kadet and advanced to the rank of Captain. The comic book featured instructions how to do the American manual of arms
Manual of arms
A manual of arms was an instruction book for handling and using weapons in formation, whether in the field or on parade. Such manuals were especially important in the matchlock and flintlock eras, when loading and firing was a complex and lengthy process typically carried out in close order...
and offered the full range of Kadet Trainer Rifles, cork firing weapons, rank insignia, and dress and fatigue uniforms for both girls and boys featuring a white riding helmet. The brochure also featured a Kadet Officer's Training School located on a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) farm in Savannah and a Kadet song. From 1953 to around 1970 when the programme ended, the Kadets had over 16,000 members.
External links
- Parris Manufacturing web site http://www.parrismfgco.com/home/history.html
- Parris-Dunn web site http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/jdd47/pdhistory1.html&date=2009-10-26+00:44:29
- Parris toy drill rifles http://user.pa.net/~the.macs/PDTOY.html
- Parris-Dunn Training Rifles http://user.pa.net/~the.macs/PDTR.html