OBERLIN SMITH (The FERRACUTE MACHINE COMPANY, PLANT SITE)

Bridgeton’s most famous resident, was Oberlin Smith, who founded the Ferracute Machine Company in 1863. Considered a leader in the field of mechanical engineering in the late 1800’s, Smith was the holder of over 70 patents. The Ferracute Machine Company found it’s niche in the manufacture of metalworking presses used to stamp out parts for the canning industry, the automotive industry, and in the making of cash coins. Ferracute presses were shipped around the world, and contributed to the opening of trade in the far East. Among the many societies that Smith belonged to, he became the President of the ASME in 1899, the New Jersey Director to the Pan-American Exposition in 1901, and a member of the National Geographic Society. Smith was a prolific writer to many engineering trade journals of his time. The Ferracute Machine Company property is currently vacant and deteriorating, however there is hope that the place will be preserved in the future as a historical and tourism attraction.
429 E. Commerce St, Bridgeton NJ. www.oberlinsmith.org