Lowe-Hurt Chair Company Was Near Cameron Hill

Milne Chair Company was once a sprawling factory in East Chattanooga.  Please see my previous article at Have a Seat, and Read about the Milne Chair Company - Chattanoogan.com.   Judging by the number of readers who have contacted me with questions about the age and other details of their Milne chairs, the company made quality products that were built to last. 

It is difficult for employers to retain their top talent over the long run.  For instance, Fritz Lowe was an assistant supervisor at Milne and a designer of some of their products.  In the mid-1930’s, Mr.

Lowe left Milne and formed a new chair company, the Lowe-Hurt Chair Company, with his son, Richard F. Lowe, and Ward M. Hurt who had been an upholsterer at Milne.  The new enterprise was based in East Chattanooga like Milne, but at different addresses with their last in that community being 2915 Dodson Ave.

In 1940, the Lowes and Hurt decided to move the company to 1011 Cross Street in the area between Cameron Hill and the Tennessee River known as Tannery Flats.  The manufacturers were supported by rail, river, and highway transportation.  Tannery Flats was part of a much larger manufacturing district that extended south along the river towards Lookout Mountain.

After the end of World War II, Lowe-Hurt was invited by the Hattiesburg, MS Chamber of Commerce to build in Hattiesburg.  Ward Hurt relocated from Chattanooga to oversee the start-up and operation of the second factory.  The November 4, 1946 Hattiesburg American featured a pictorial of the new manufacturer and noted that the Chattanooga and Hattiesburg workers would be competing to see who could produce the most chairs by January 1, 1948.

The materials used in making chairs were very flammable.  The Chattanooga Times reported fires at Lowe-Hurt in the June 27, 1943 and January 3, 1948 editions.

Fire prevention was only one of the company’s challenges over time.  The November 4, 1955 Chattanooga Times reported that the Lowe-Hurt Chair Company was going out of business.  According to Richard Lowe, the firm could not compete profitably with other manufacturers of the same line of products.  At their peak, the Lowe-Hurt Chair company employed around one hundred workers in Chattanooga. 

I was unable to find reference material on the final disposition of the Hattiesburg plant.  

The local Lowe-Hurt property was sold to Siskin Steel in December 1956.

Richard Lowe continued to design furniture in retirement.  Ward Hunt was owner of Lumberton Manufacturing in Lumberton, MS and served as mayor for three terms.

If you have additional information on Lowe-Hurt Chair Company, please email me at jolleyh@bellsouth.net.