Decision to Relocate Manufacturing to Marion, Ohio

In 1926, Wilson Bohannan Tway, a grandson of founder Wilson Bohannan, concluded that our aging Brooklyn factory could no longer efficiently support the business. The company began looking for a new manufacturing location, with the search ultimately leading to Marion, Ohio. Marion offered an existing industrial building that could accommodate our operations and a central location with strong railroad connections—an important consideration for a company whose customers included railroads and industrial businesses across the country. The decision began the transition away from Brooklyn, where Wilson Bohannan had started making locks in 1860, toward the Ohio manufacturing base that would become the company's long-term home. The physical move took place the following year.