Sewell N. Dunton & Sons, Inc. - The Dunton Homesite

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Sewell N. Dunton & Sons, Inc.
4 Fiske Avenue, Greenfield, Mass. 01301
Compiled by Michael L. Dunton

History:

Sewell N. Dunton & Son, Inc. is not the best known rod maker, but their work commands fairly high dollar amounts among historic fishing gear collectors.

The genealogy of Sewell N. Dunton & Sons Inc. were with L.L. and Eugene Bartlett of Pelham, Massachusetts in 1857. L.L. left his brother's business in 1882 and in 1885 formed the Montague City Rod Company. They bought out several other rod making plants including Chubb and Malleson Rod and Reel and then had 4 plants in operation making rods by the 1930s. This became Montague Rod and Reel owned by Bruce Pirnie who bought out the original owners' heirs.

Montague went through several ownership changes until 1955 when they went out of business and sold all their stock and machinery to Sewell N. Dunton. Dunton continued to use the mills from the original Montague Mills until 1974, when he sold the equipment to Thomas Dorsey and Thomas Maxwell, who formed Thomas and Thomas.

Rod Markings:

Their pieces are marked with one of two oval decals on the butt section that say, "Anglers Choice" on top, "Split Bamboo" on the bottom, with a picture representing the cross section of a hex shaped rod in the center. This decal was used on the earlier rods that they sold.

The later decal is similar except instead of saying "Split Bamboo", it says "Sewell N. Dunton & Son" on one line in the bottom part of the oval and "Greenfield, Mass, USA" on the other part.

Between the grip and the decal the model number was marked in black ink and on the other side of the decal was written "Genuine Tonkin" or "Genuine Tonkin Cane".

MODEL: Anglers Choice Bamboo Rod, # 202

COMPOSITION: Genuine Tonkin, Bamboo Rod, Cork Handle, Alum. Metal Reel Holders, Five Metal Line Rings, Metal Sleeve Ends

CIRCA: 1940s-50s

SIZE: 6'2" or 75.5" Long

MODEL: Anglers Choice Bamboo Rod, #1200-6

COMPOSITION: Genuine Tonkin, Bamboo Rod, Wood Handle, Chromed Metal Reel Holders, Four Metal Line Rings, Metal Sleeve Ends, rubber knob on the end

CIRCA: 1940s-50s

SIZE: 73 inches

Sources:

1. "Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook" by Michael Sinclair
2. http://www.eveninghatch.com/mikescorner/making_bamboo_rods.htm

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