This company was the successor of the Waterville Manufacturing Company founded in 1844. The original business was closed in 1855, and the pocket knife portion was taken over by B.H. Morse.
Morse ran the firm under his name until 1865, when he sold the factory to Sprague & Boyden. David Sprague and Alonzo Boyden conducted business as the Waterville Cutlery Company until 1890. W. Sumner Babcock and George J. Babcock purchased the firm in 1890, incorporating with capital of $25,000. They failed in 1913, and were placed in receivership.
On October 10, 1913, the property was sold to the Clark Brothers Cutlery Company of Kansas City, Missouri. The Clark Brothers closed the plant, and moved the operation to Hotchkissville, Connecticut. They used the marking “Waterville K.C. MO.” until 1914.
c 1890-1913