San Francisco County
Biographies
The Eureka Foundry was established by Thomas
and Thornton Thompson, brothers, in 1868, on the site of its present location,
129 and 131 Beale street, and was owned and conducted under the same
proprietorship until the death of Thornton Thompson, in March, 1886, since
which time Thomas Thompson has had sole management. The Eureka Foundry
uses from 500 to 600 tons of pig and scrap iron per annum, which is
manufactured into castings of all kinds, largely order work. This foundry
has for many years done an extensive business in castings for gas works, and
now has the lead in that line of work in San Francisco. The Eureka also
has a large run of custom work for various machine-shops of the city, some of
whom have been its regular patrons for twenty years. Mr. Thompson being
an expert molder with forty-five years' experience, gives his personal
attention to the business, and under his efficient management the Eureka
Foundry has earned a proud reputation for first-class work, and is doing a
prosperous business. It now employs thirty skilled men, and has capacity
for making every size and style of casting. Mr. Thompson was brought up
and learned the trade of iron-molder in Paterson, New Jersey, commencing in
1845. In 1861 he worked on the first Monitor (of historic fame for having
defeated and destroyed the Merrimac), under the late eminent engineer, Captain Ericcson. Having decided years before to see the
Golden State, Mr. Thompson came with his family via Panama to California in
1862, and has been a resident of the Pacific coast twenty-eight years. He
is now sixty years of age, and is expecting to retire in the near future from
active business, transferring its responsibilities to two of his sons whom he
is educating in all its departments with that end in view. Mr. Thompson owns a
picturesque country place in Santa Cruz county, situated at an altitude of
1,500 feet, which he is improving for a beautiful homestead. One of San Francisco's oldest and most reliable and
successful business men, Mr. Thompson is universally held in high esteem by the
men who have labored with him to build up the manufacturing industries of the
great Pacific metropolis.
Transcribed
1-25-05 Marilyn R. Pankey
Source:
"The Bay of San Francisco," Vol. 1, page 693, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892.
© 2005 Marilyn R. Pankey.