Leominster, Massachusetts - Plastics Industry - The Dupont Viscoloid Company

The Dupont Viscoloid Company

The Viscoloid Company was incorporated in 1901. It was founded by Alexander Paton, the president of the company. He was accompanied by Ludwig Stross and his Secretary and Treasurer Bernard Doyle. In 1902, the partners started the Sterling Comb company which made dress combs and other hair ornaments. The men owned the Viscoloid Company, Harvard Novelty Company, and the Paton Company, but in 1912 the companies were consolidated under the name Viscoloid Company and later the Viscoloid Company Inc. By 1923, the company's capital reached three million dollars and had become the largest employer in Leominster. That same year, Alexander Paton resigned and Bernard Doyle became Chief Executive. He remained Chief until 1925 when the company merged with the DuPont company. The name was then changed to the Dupont Viscoloid Company. The company was the largest in the city, making dress combs, brushes, mirrors, toilet articles, hair ornaments, and other novelties.