HI STORY
GO MODERN, BUY CHROME!
BY MARY BOSWELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF FREDERICK COUNTY
AND NANCY WHITMORE, GUEST CURATOR
Visitors to Frederick often enjoy exploring
Everedy Square and Shab Row, a cluster
of specialty shops and eateries in charming
old buildings along East and Church
streets. Located adjacent to the Frederick
Historic District, Everedy Square and Shab
Row have a vibrant history of their own.
One of the most successful businesses
to occupy the area was the Everedy
Company, owned and operated by
brothers Harry, Robert, William and
Joseph Lebherz. Their first product was
the Bottle Capper, one of many items
that Harry invented, and it retailed for
$1.50. The year was 1923, at the height of
Prohibition, when producing, transporting
and selling alcoholic beverages were
illegal. The device gave home brewers the
means to cap all types of bottles.
Hire’s Root Beer included it in a home-brew
kit to cap bottles of root beer. Everedy’s
advertisements urged homemakers to use
it to cap bottles of homemade soda, catsup
and relish. Its main use, however, was to
cap or cork bottles of beer and wine.
Promotions claimed it could be wiped
clean in seconds and would not tarnish
or stain. The cookware was distributed
throughout North and South America
and competed with leading manufacturers
such as Farber and Revere.
high-quality service, Everedy was honored
on a CBS radio program at the time,
“So Proudly We Hail.” In 1943, it also
received the Army-Navy "E" for Excellence
Production Award. Each employee was
given a commemorative pin.
Acquired by Standard International in
1958, Everedy merged with the Union
Manufacturing Company in 1959 and
became the Union-Everedy Company.
Production was transferred elsewhere, and
the Frederick operation closed in 1977.
From the early 1930s into the 1970s, Everedy
marketed “Evercraft” gift items, including
cocktail shakers, serving trays, ashtrays,
cigarette lighters and cigarette boxes.
During World War II, Everedy converted
its production line to support the war effort.
In 1943, its first military contract involved
the manufacture of floats for anti-submarine
nets. Everedy also manufactured more than
200,000 land mines, 2 million grenades and
parts for bombs. The company developed
and produced folding fin stabilizers for
rockets, at 10,000 per day, and created
a machine that folded bandages for the
Red Cross.
In the mid-1930s, Everedy introduced
“Speedy Clean” chrome-plated cookware.
The average annual number of employees
rose from 168 to 435. Due to the company’s
Everedy became a pioneer in chrome plating
and helped supply car manufacturers in
Hagerstown and Baltimore. In 1928, Harry
patented a silent door closer, and the company
began manufacturing screen door hardware.
Everedy claimed to be “The Brightest Name
in Hardware.”
18
FREDERICK COUNTY GUIDE | SUMMER 2016
Frederick entrepreneur Bert Anderson
developed the district known today as
Everedy Square and Shab Row. Everedy’s
original building still stands at North East
Street. This year marks the 40th anniversary
of that development.