Interview with Thomas Hoopes, 1969 July 23 [audio](part 2)

Hagley ID:
Download
  • Ventilation system at Hoopes Brothers & Darlington, Inc.; Safety inspections; Helping employees buy houses; Social activities among the workers at; Employees at Hoopes Brothers & Darlington, Inc.; Getting rubber for wagon wheels; Deciding not to get into the tire business; Management at Hoopes Brothers & Darlington, Inc.; Company history
    Partial Transcript: "We used to... this building for housing we leased it for offices for a couple years..."
    Synopsis: Hoopes talks about safety and inspections in his shop. He says that the company helped employees buy housing, but never owned company housing. He talks about how the employees got food and drinks onto the factory floor. He talks about social activities among the workers. Hoopes describes his typical employees following World War I, he says that they were mostly white, non-immigrants and African Americans. He talks about sourcing his rubber for use in wagon wheels. He says that after Firestone stopped producing the wheels, they acquired their dies which they allow contractors and other companies to use. He says the rubber is extruded and describes the machinery as similar to a sausage machine. He says that they never started making tires because that required a different set of skills and they lacked they would have struggled to be competitive. He describes how he manages the shop working with his secretary, Miss Smith. Hoopes gives a brief overview of his company's history.
    Keywords: African Americans; Firestone Tire and Rubber Company; Hiring; Hoopes Brothers & Darlington, Inc; Hoopes Brothers & Darlington, Inc.; Housing; Management; Real estate; Safety; Tires; Ventilation; Work
Details
Title

Interview with Thomas Hoopes, 1969 July 23 [audio](part 2)

Date Created

1969-07-23

Scope and Content

Hoopes gives a history of the company including the addition of rubber to wagon wheels, the changes the company underwent during World War II, the introduction of electricity, the relationships with the competition, best business practices, the management of the company, and different types of tires.

Interviewee

Hoopes, Thomas

Interviewer

Scafidi, John A.
Ryff, Allen

Biographical Note

Thomas Hoopes (b. 1894) worked for Hoopes Brothers & Darlington Wagon Wheel Manufacturers, a family business, for 65 years.

Note

Reel # 69-V
Part 1:Original recording starts off very low; Poor quality with lots of background noise, tape hiss, volume goes up and down, etc.; Ends abruptly but picks up on part 2; Part 2 - Same issues as on part 1

Subject(s)

Reminiscing
Wheels
Industries
Horses

Find all items with name(s)

Hoopes, Thomas
Scafidi, John A.
Ryff, Allen

Genre

oral histories

Brand Information

RCA Red Seal, 1800 ft. 1 mil, polyester, Type 10MLN-18LT

Language

English

Type of resource

sound recording-nonmusical

Extent

1 sound tape reel : 3.75 ips. TRT Part 1 - 1:36:38, Part 2 - 0:13:39.

Physical Details

A and B
Part 1 - 1:36:38; Part 2 - 0:13:39

Repository

Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library

Original Collection

Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation interviews on the history of the DuPont Company Powder Yard (Accession 1970.370)

Original Identifier

1970.370.007

Finding Aid

http://findingaids.hagley.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/1970_370.xml

Item Location

Box 1, Reel 7

Preferred Citation

[Description and dates], 1970370_72913_Hoopes_part2, Box 1, Reel 7, Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation interviews on the history of the DuPont Company Powder Yard (Accession 1970.370), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, DE 19807

Access Condition

Access to this item is provided for educational and research purposes only. The user assumes responsibility for obtaining permission from the copyright holder to publish or distribute this material. If you would like more information, please contact askhagley@hagley.org

Hagley ID

1970370_72913_Hoopes_part2

Other Format (Identifier)

2026_052913_11

PID

islandora:2277740

Digitized material in this online archive may document imagery or language that reflects racist, ableist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise offensive and harmful beliefs and actions in history. Hagley Library is engaged in ongoing efforts to address and responsibly present evidence of oppression and injustice in our collections. If you are concerned about the archival material presented here, or want to learn more about our ongoing work, please contact us at research@hagley.org.