June 2, 1908

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I'm glad it is still going, and that I had the chance to use that machine once.
Thanks for sharing, and once again for letting me give it a try many years ago.
Scott
 
Picture it. June and July, 1908. It was hot in New Berlin, Ohio. Mr. Spangler's creditors were closing in, getting ready to foreclose on a loan made with his house as collateral. Most likely, a loan for Motors to power his suction sweeper. He had to be aware, and most likely desperate because, a judgment was about to be served against him.

It just so happened that Mr. Hoover wanted a product that was not leather goods, to supplement the dwindling leather trade in horse collars and saddles. Mrs. Hoover had that 'contraption' she loved so much, and Mr. Spangler needed to unload the patent so he could keep his home. It would all end in August, on a front porch, over a pitcher of lemonade, and it would change the world.

Funny how things like that happen.......
 
They are beautiful machines!

Had the opportunity to run my good friends Spangler suction sweeper a few years back. All original and runs silent as if it were new.

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The red/black machine is VERY interesting - Mr. Spangler was located in Canton, and the Hoovers were in New Berlin. If the patent was granted on June 2, 1908 - and he sold the patents to Hoover in August 1908 - I'm surmising that machine was built (and probably sold) during those two months. I'm going out on a limb to say that when Hoover began to actually make them, in the corner of the leather goods shop, the machine would have had "new berlin" painted on it, as that was where the Electric Suction Sweeper Company was now located. According to "Fabulous Dustpan", Hoover built less than 300 machines in all of 1908. By the end of 1909, the model 0 was history.
 
The history of the red and black pre production model O are as follows - (my friend typed this up)




The black Spangler is my favorite of the old ones. I have not seen another -- except at the Hoover Museum in Ohio. There they have (had??) THE ORIGINAL Spangler with the 04 Emerson motor -- the very one which Spangler put together. It is (was?) a grand museum. Wonder what will be come of all their great stuff. Believe they had an "O" there as well? The "O" which I sent you the pic of was in the Smithsonian in Washington DC -- no Spangler there in DC. There is another gray "O" at Dearborn, at the Ford Museum - - but no Spangler.

Spangler was a very inventive fellow -- he was very asthmatic and could not breath well at all. He did inventing for a "living" -- and could not make enough $ to live so took a job at Zollinger's Dept Store there in Canton. He swept the carpeted isles there with a big broom -- raising much more dust making it harder yet for him to breathe. Such also covered the items for sale with dust too -- he then had to dust those items. More breathing problems.

He had seen the huge vacuums run by steam motors -- were on trailers and hauled (by horses) to big buildings to clean things up --they used a big hose to bring (the vacuum) into the buildings and did the vacuuming from that hose. He set out to use the same principal for a "home vacuum". This he did and was very proud of his Spangler Vac. He showed it to various folks who told him he ought to make that vac and sell it. So he borrowed all the $ he could from friends and relatives and set up his "shop" in a garage. No one knows how many he made but were few. He found he could make it easier than he could sell it because so very few houses had electricity at the time. Was about 06 or so. ANd, the ones who did have electricity, were the very wealthy households who had servants and workers to clean the big houses etc etc. And the owners really did not care much how well the new "Home Vac" would work as the owners did not do the cleaning work anyway.

With that background (made few -- hard to sell) he took one is his Spangler vacs and showed it to his cousin, Susan in New Berlin, Ohio -- suburb of Canton. She thought it was neat and bought one. Her husband had a leather factory and made stuff for horses etc etc. He could see that cars were coming into being, becoming more popular -- and were going to replace horses so was looking for another thing to make in his big factory. When his wife, Susan, showed him the vac, he right away recognized it as the "item" he wanted to make -- thinking that its future was really going to be good. Susan's husband's name was, of course, William Hoover. As we all know now, he bought the Patent from Spangler and started making the vacs. He hired Spangler to work for him at the Hoover Factory as well. He used the same Westinghouse motor which Spangler had bought from Westinghouse for his Spangler vacs on the "O". Really other than the color and some minor changes, the "O" was the same as Spangler's vac. As i think I told you, first thing Hoover did was paint them gray, the color of dust -- smart idea!!

But he knew they were too heavy at 41 pounds so set out to make them smaller/lighter. Believe his first effort, after the "O", was the "Baby Hoover" -- can't recall wt, but think might have been 14 or 19 ?? pounds -- ever so much lighter. I have that Baby Hoover in my collection too. Looks nothing like the Spangler vac -- being ever so much smaller etc etc.

Whew, that got too long !!


-------—---------------------------------------

Oldest is a James Murray Spangler, Canton, Ohio -- which was THE FIRST home vac made for sale in the US. He used tin, wood, a pillow case, a broom handle and the motor from his folk's 1904 Emerson DC fan. Was patented in 1908 as I recall. Wt was 41 pounds. He sold the patent to his brother in law -- yes, William Hoover was his brother in law's name -- New Berlin, Ohio. Of course we all know Hoover made cleaners for 100 years (+ -) after that .

Hoover's first vacs were exactly like Spangler's vacs -- except Hoover painted them the color of dust as he knew they would be operating in a dusty situation. Spangler painted his black with lots of pin stripping and colorful wording. The Spangler cleaners are called "Electric Suction Sweepers" and the later ones made by Hoover are called "Hoover Suction Sweepers". Other than the painting, are the same. Fun stuff!!
 
Well,as we all know, it IS fab!

However,  there are a few misconceptions about the entire thing.  First,  "Fabulous Dustpan' is a nice' read.'. NOT altogether historically accurate, as admitted by the family. Too bad a part 2 never happened.. just when things were really starting  to hop in Ohio.  As we know, Frank died in Dec, 1954.  The book was published in '55.  You also know that the family tried to scrap the book,   especially after his brother, Daniel jumped to his death out of the hospital window, in 1933, a year after his father, "Boss" passed. That was 'touched on' in the text.


  Now,  Murray  was a 'tinker',  an intellectual, if you will. He was married to a 'distant cousin' of Susan Hoover's, at best.  He was called, "Uncle Murray".  If a man generated THAT much revenue for you and your family,  you might refer to him as "uncle' as well. He knew that Boss had a good thing going in the leather business.  Upon the advent of the "tin Lizzie",( the model T was introduced in 1908), he wanted to diversify his business.  So, he handed his eldest son, Herbert the business and said, VERBATIM, "Make of it what you will". And, he did. He was smart, keeping Murray "Superintendant of Production". Murray borrowed $5,000.00 from the Folwells, who owned the Zollinger Dept Store building. Unable to repay the total sum, he took Boss Hoover up on his  offer (buying the Model O patent.  Murray got a royalty from EACH Model O made. There weren't tons of Model Os made. In N. Canton, (formerly New Berlin), they call the Hoover cleaner was the first commercially  SUCCESSFUL portable vacuum cleaner.   The First ones were black too.  Later came The Model O, "Improved", made in January, '09 to Dec, '09. The only real change was the rug adjustment knob,  added.  Cheaper versions of the O were alaso made. Murray ALSO patented the "friction-drive Baby", among others.  It made BOTH Boss AND Murray a lot of money.  Sadly,  Murray passed in his sleep in January , 1915, the day before he was to travel to Florida with his family.


  This is the absolute, spot on truth.  But, as we know, fales facts,  fabrications, etc, often slip into things, creating a new "truth", which is actually how myths are born.


 All of this is correctly and accurately defined at The Hoover Historical Center, the 'museum' at Walsh University, which, yes, STILL exists.


 Imagine how surprised I was to learn that my family is actually related (again, distantly) to Murray Spangler.  Rolly Spangler, from the Ohio area, married Grace. I always thought Grace Spangler(in numerous family photos) was my grandmother's friend, maid of honor.  Turns out,  she was her cousin, a blood relative.


 I'm glad to be able to clear up any doubts on this subject. It's always great to share true Hoover history.


John
 
Also, in 1978, The Hoover Company restored

a lot of them to mark the 70 th birthday.


 For instance,  this one, once sat in the lobby of The International Building. It now is at T.T.I. headquarters in Glenwillow. Thtis WAS completely restored.  Severl units, deep in the basement of the Historical Center, were not.There is also one in the Mc Kinley Museum.  It is a Model O Improved.  I was there  in the room when Tom Anderson installed a new handle and bag at The North Canton Heritage Society. He also rewired the one at the center,  so it would work.  I turned it on numerous times, as well. Several rest in the center's basement,  properly tagged as a museum piece.

gottahaveahoove++6-3-2016-23-10-29.jpg
 
oh, and please excuse the poor little cleaner

to the left of it.  It has a bojack bag on it, and was unpolished.  I guess they had to put it up quickly.  A shame that the "Wall of Fame' wasn't totally accurate.  See how things happen?????


 


  And, here are some other treasures in the "basement" of the center.

gottahaveahoove++6-3-2016-23-17-13.jpg
 
How much of my friends history write up was correct do you think? Just curious. He did use to write many historical articles back in the day for the club on early machines. He's very well versed in early days of vacuum cleaners. He doesn't touch machines newer than the mid 1930s
 
Well, some certainly is correct

There are some other , let's say, not so clear facts.  Perhaps some other time,  we can explore.


  It's important to know that   Murray Spangler was NOT a deadbeat,  defaulting on a loan. He was a janitor.  His son, Clarence Spangler, assembled the cleaners by hand during the day, while his father sold them, door to door.  Murray had a STAFF, who were afraid of the vacuum.  It originally had no bag.  It would be run across the floor,  followed by the staff picking up the dirt, later evolving into the sateen bag.See?  Nobody talks about THIS stuff.  Anyone can read a book and simply spit it out. People do it all the time, about numerous topics. I was THRILLED to be able to get this historically correct information.  I'm equally happy to share it with my fellow enthusiasts.


  So, are we clear now?  Murray is NOT Susan's cousin. Murray had a sister, named Harriet. Harriet married a Troxel, who was  related to Susan. Susan Troxel BECAME Susan HOOVER. We're not sure how "far down the line" the strain is. He DID help them make a boatload of profit, thus changing the world.  And, it all began in a little town in Ohio.


Ready for your quiz?  Pencils ready....
 
He was before my time.

I just can't stand misinformation.  Especially when it comes from alleged experts.  For example,  I work with someone (no names, of course).  Half of the stuff is inflated, enhanced, or just plain made up.  If it sounds credible, people swallow it up.  He's nothing but a big, old gasbag, devoid of manners. But, thankfully, I rarely have an encounters with him. I try to always surround myself with good, honest folks.  I'm lucky, I guess.
 

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