A Square Celebration: 150 Years of History June 22-26, 1994, Page 23

Typewriters The typewriter industry put Woodstock on the map all over the world. Two plants were established in Woodstock during the turn of the century. Oliver Typewriter came to Woodstock in 1896. This machine was invented by the Rev. Thomas Oliver who began manufacturing in Dubuque. Seeking a location closer to Chicago, the Oliver Typewriter Factory was established in Woodstock in 1895. At peak production, the factory employed 875 people and turned out 375 typewriters a day. During the early years, the average work time was 10 hours a day, six days a week, and employees were paid $3 a day in cash. During World War I, the factory made munitions for the British. The plant closed in 1926. Following the closure, this site became the home of Alemite Die Casting and Manufacturing, Electric Auto-Lite Co., and finally, Woodstock Die Casting. The Woodstock Typewriter Company opened in 1915, and employed 350 people by 1922. This typewriter began as the Emerson and was reorganized according to the redeisgn of Alvah Roebuck of Sears, Roebuck & Co. The plant closed in 1971, and is now the site of Woodstock Wireworks. A Woodstock Typewriter was used as evidence to convict State Department official Alger Hiss. Hiss was accused of having been a secret agent for the Soviet Union in the 1930s.