Coachbult.com - Bryant Body Co.



Bryant Body Co. - 1922-1925 - Amesbury, Massachusetts

A firm partly financed by Amesbury's Walker Body Company which built production bodies for Jordan and other smaller manufacturers. Walker (Amesbury's 2nd largest coachbuilder) took over the building for more important work in 1925.

Bryant of Amesbury, Mass built bodies for the Hill automobile that was built in Haverhill, Mass in 1904-1908.

From the 1830's to the early 1900's Amesbury's Carriage Industry was the backbone of the community. It successfully ranked 6th best in the nation. Over 100 companies worked on carriages of over 26 designs. Almost 20,000 carriages were produced each year and shipped all over the world.

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The Bryant Body Co. Inc. was also a comparatively new organization, having been incorporated in March, 19l9, but it had the advantage of counsel and advice of old carriage and body builders. James H. Walker, of the Walker Body Co. was one of the officers of the firm, the others being J. J. O'Brien, president; Frank A. Bryant, treasurer; James Miller, secretary. This body firm was founded as the result of the Walker Body Co.'s not being able to fill required or contracted orders. Mr. Jordan, of the Jordan Motor Co. came to Amesbury in 1918 to have the Walker Body Co. build a certain number of Jordan bodies for him per month, but it was found that under no circumstances could the desired number of bodies be fabricated by the local concern. Thus the Bryant Body Co. was founded which engaged only in the construction of sedans for the Jordan chassis, producing eighteen bodies daily from its three plants. One factory was located on Water Street where the main office of the Bailey Co. is now situated, and the other two were on Cedar Street in buildings now owned by the Merrimac Hat Corp. This company was one of the first to use the paint spray machine, which eliminated much of the hand painting and varnishing. Modern trim stitchers were also made use of in these factories. Some four hundred men were employed by the Bryant Body Co. before it went out of business. Orders for Jordan bodies decreased until the Bryant Body Co. was forced out of business in 1926. The machinery and much of the skilled labor was turned over to the Walker Body Co.

For more information please read:

Orra L. Stone - History of Massachusetts Industries Vol I-IV - Boston, MA, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1930

John Bartley - Amesbury as a Body-Building Center – April 13, 1943 – Collection of the Amesbury Public Library

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Beverly Rae Kimes & Henry Austin Clark Jr. - Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942

Richard Burns Carson - The Olympian Cars

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Brooks T. Brierley - There Is No Mistaking a Pierce Arrow

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