Guide to the Records of the Trimble Company, 1883-1967

Arrangement

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Records of the Trimble Company
Creator
Trimble Company
Collection Number
MSS#80
Extent
3 cubic feet (5 boxes)
Date
1883-1967
Abstract
The Trimble Company was a prominent construction firm in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, founded in 1858 by William F. Trimble. The company had four names in its 100 year history; Trimble Company, changed to W.F Trimble & Sons Co. in 1903, The Trimble Company in 1942, and A. H. Trimble Construction and Engineering in the early 1960s. The collection includes contracts, correspondence, financial documents, patents, projects, and other matters relating to the estates of various family members. Of note are near-comprehensive photographs of the company's projects.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by Historical Society Staff in 1982. Records rearranged and inventory rewritten by Erin Clougherty on March 24, 1994. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Spring 2000.
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History of the Trimble Company (1858-c1967)

The Trimble Company was a construction firm in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania beginning in the mid-19th century. Trimble was founded in 1858 by William F. Trimble as a construction company in Allegheny City (Pittsburgh). William and Margaret Ann had nine children, of which four sons (Charles, William, Samuel, and Alexander) eventually joined the firm. The company changed names four times in over 100 years; first name change occurred in 1903, when the company adopted the name W.F. Trimble and Sons Company. William F. Trimble Jr., son of Anthony Trimble, joined the firm in 1910 and was named president of the company upon his uncle's death (William L Trimble) in 1937. The company, in 1942, was again reorganized and the name was changed to The Trimble Company. In the early 1960s, the company reorganized and again changed its name to A.H. Trimble Construction and Engineering. The Trimble family also started the Locust Land Company in the late 1800s. The Locust Land Company was also located in Allegheny City, at the same address. The Locust Land Company concentrated their land holdings in this area of the city.

The Trimble Company was a prominent contributor to the construction industry in the Pittsburgh region. The company concentrated its work on industrial and institutional buildings, and projects. Among its most notable construction projects were: the Stephen C. Foster Memorial and Heinz Memorial Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh, Buhl Planetarium, the Pennsylvania Railroad Warehouse, the Horne's Department Store Warehouse, Gimbel's Department Store Warehouse, and Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary. The Trimble Company also completed a major amount of work for the United States Armed Forces; including the construction of military bases, war housing, and veterans' housing. The largest contract that the Trimble Company worked on was the Indiantown Gap Military Reservation for the United States Army in 1939-1940. This project was done in conjunction with the Ferguson-Edmonson Company and Huffman-Wolfe Company. The Trimble Company's list of clients included The Aluminum Company of America, Gulf Oil Corporation, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, Bell Telephone Company, the United States Army, the United States Navy, the Veterans Administration, the City of Pittsburgh, the County of Allegheny and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Scope and Content Notes

The Trimble papers include contracts, correspondence, financial documents, patents, projects, and matters relating to the estate of various family members. Most of these items document the company, with an overlap of estate papers dealing with company business. Notably, these records include near-comprehensive photographs of the company's projects. These photographs have been arranged as MSP# 80.

Arrangement

The Trimble Company Records are arranged in two series. Series I contains the business records and Series II the estate papers.

The Trimble Company Records are housed in five archival boxes.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These materials came in one accession, in 1982.

Acc# 1982.251 -- Gift of Anthony F. Trimble. Records: Anthony Trimble was the last head of the Trimble Company.

Preferred Citation

Records of the Trimble Company, 1883-1967, MSS# 80, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

Processing Information

This guide to the collection was originally prepared by Historical Society Staff in 1982. Records rearranged and inventory rewritten by Erin Clougherty on March 24, 1994.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Robert V. Fletcher on March 1, 2000.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Buhl Planetarium (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • University of Pittsburgh. -- Stephen C. Foster Memorial.
    • Gimbels (Department store : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Horne's (Department store : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • University of Pittsburgh. -- Heinz Memorial Chapel.
    • Indiantown Gap (Military reservation)
    • Locust Land Company (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Pennsylvania Railroad Warehouse (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • Buildings -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
    • Commercial buildings -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
    • Construction industry -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
    • Department stores -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
    • Dwellings -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
    • Transportation buildings -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
    • Universities and colleges -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.

Container List