{"id":1635,"date":"2015-01-18T19:15:07","date_gmt":"2015-01-18T19:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/?page_id=1635"},"modified":"2026-09-13T14:52:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T14:52:38","slug":"george-gorton-machine-company","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/features\/george-gorton-machine-company\/","title":{"rendered":"George Gorton Machine Company"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The George Gorton Machine Company: <a href=\"http:\/\/gorton-machine.org\/corporate\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Business operations<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1636\" style=\"width: 306px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pinhead_machine.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1636\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1636\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pinhead_machine-300x246.jpg\" alt=\"Machine engraving The Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin\" width=\"300\" height=\"246\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pinhead_machine-300x246.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pinhead_machine.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1636\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Machine engraving The Lord&#8217;s Prayer on the head of a pin<\/p><\/div>\n<p>How the engraving was possible: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.engraversjournal.com\/article.php\/14\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">http:\/\/www.engraversjournal.com\/article.php\/14\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_945\" style=\"width: 188px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-945\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-945\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures-182x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Gorton Manufacturing -- patriotic pictures\" width=\"182\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures-182x300.jpeg 182w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures-622x1024.jpeg 622w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures.jpeg 1388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 182px) 100vw, 182px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-945\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gorton Manufacturing &#8212; patriotic pictures<\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<div id=\"attachment_944\" style=\"width: 185px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures-1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-944\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-944\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures-1-179x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Gorton Manufacturing\" width=\"179\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures-1-179x300.jpeg 179w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures-1-612x1024.jpeg 612w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Gorton-Manufacturing-patriotic-pictures-1.jpeg 1334w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 179px) 100vw, 179px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-944\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gorton Manufacturing<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/george-gorton-machine-tools.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"755\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/george-gorton-machine-tools-755x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3529\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/george-gorton-machine-tools-755x1024.jpg 755w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/george-gorton-machine-tools-221x300.jpg 221w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/george-gorton-machine-tools-768x1042.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/george-gorton-machine-tools.jpg 852w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 755px) 100vw, 755px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Advertisement from the Centennial 1842 1942 St. Luke&#8217;s Episcopal Church, Racine, Wisconsin pamphlet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dennis-tully-bowling-team-photo-649990220_3799177780390678_5115201793211340678_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"791\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dennis-tully-bowling-team-photo-649990220_3799177780390678_5115201793211340678_n-1024x791.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6275\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dennis-tully-bowling-team-photo-649990220_3799177780390678_5115201793211340678_n-1024x791.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dennis-tully-bowling-team-photo-649990220_3799177780390678_5115201793211340678_n-300x232.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dennis-tully-bowling-team-photo-649990220_3799177780390678_5115201793211340678_n-768x593.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dennis-tully-bowling-team-photo-649990220_3799177780390678_5115201793211340678_n-1536x1186.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dennis-tully-bowling-team-photo-649990220_3799177780390678_5115201793211340678_n.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dennis Tully: These men are posing for a photo of the George Gorton Machine Co. bowling league back in the early 1940&#8217;s. The league at the time, had their home lanes at Big Ed&#8217;s bowling alleys on State Street. George Gorton, Sr. is in 2nd row up at center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The_Journal_Times_1935_10_28_18-business-is-good-at-the-gorton-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"827\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The_Journal_Times_1935_10_28_18-business-is-good-at-the-gorton-827x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cBusiness Is Good\u201d at the Gorton Machine Company\n\nRacine Journal-Times, October 28, 1935.\n\nNEW PRODUCTS DEVELOPED TO HELP BANISH DEPRESSION\nPlant at 1107 13th Street Going at Top Speed.\n\n\u201cBusiness is good\u201d at the Gorton Machine company.\n\nEmployees interviewed by the Journal-Times for another of its articles about Racine industrial workers and their products agreed on that point, and further, that the state of the machine tool business has always been a reliable indicator of the condition of general business. It was pointed out that mounting orders to such firms as the Gorton company, which makes machines for a wide range of industries, means that capital goods buying\u2014called \u201cthe key to the end of the slump\u201d\u2014are moving rapidly now.\n\nAnother thing learned from workers in the Gorton plant was that many new products were developed during the depth of the depression and are now creating jobs. An executive corroborated this. \u201cI believe it\u2019s safe to say that 25 per cent of the machines we\u2019re doing now is in lines developed in the last five or six years,\u201d he said.\n\nGoing \u201cFull Blast.\u201d\n\nApproximately 15 are now employed by the Gorton company at the plant at 1107 Thirteenth street, which is going at top speed. In 1932\u2014low point of the depression for the tool machine trade\u2014about 15 were on the payroll.\n\nThe Racine firm makes machines for cutting many kinds of dies and molds used in the manufacture of products that range from huge truck tires down to flashlights. Its machines go to almost every country in the world. Right now it is completing a large order for Russia, and has another one from Italy which it may fill because of possible barriers against trade between the two nations because of the war situation.\n\nA few years ago the Gorton company, by way of demonstrating the precision and accuracy of its machines, engraved the Lord\u2019s prayer on the head of a pin 1\/21 of an inch in diameter, in letters so fine (thousandths of an inch high, less than the thickness of a human hair). Adolph Horner, 1312 Arthur avenue, who is in charge of the engraving department, did that job on a machine employing the pantograph principle\u2014that of tracing a machine over the original object and at the same time automatically forming tiny replicas on the other end of the device.\n\nHas Seen Growth.\n\nHorner has been with the Gorton company 21 years and has done about every operation in the plant. About a dozen men were employed when he started, and he has seen the plant grow, the construction of the addition which now fronts on Thirteenth street, and the development of new products. Improved products, too. \u201cWe\u2019re pretty busy now, got about 15 men on the machines,\u201d he said. He explained that one of the machines engraves a variety of products from designs on jewelry and aspirin tablets to stationery cards and thousands of similar jobs.\n\nFred Kobal, 2214 E. Twentieth street, runs a lathe in the Gorton plant. He was working on a cutting machine job when interviewed. He has been with the company since 1915, and has been a machinist since he started to work. \u201cGeorge Gorton, 80, is the founder of this company and its present chief. He is an inventive genius, and the fact that he exercised his creative ability to develop new products during the slump period has helped us a mighty lot in a hurry now,\u201d he pointed out.\n\nOscar Triebel, 2515 Sixth avenue, Racine, has been with the company since 1927. Up to a year ago he worked as a machinist, but was then made foreman of the shipping department and is still in charge of shipping all finished products and receiving all raw materials.\n\nAs an indication of how the volume of shipping has grown, he said that in 1932 there were only two men in his department; now there are six. \u201cOur volume began picking up in 1933, and we\u2019re going full blast now,\u201d he told the reporter.\n\nA veteran of 17 years\u2019 service with the company, William Burant, 1425 Morton avenue, operates a grinder, turning out spindles, gears, shafts, bushings, etc. He is an all-around machinist who has operated lathes, milling machines, etc.\n\nBetter Equipment.\n\n\u201cOf course we do better work than we did 17 years ago. We have better equipment. In the last few years for example, the company has installed a half-dozen grinders that are a vast improvement over the old machines that were here when I started.\u201d\n\nAndy Jensen, Racine, learned his trade in Denmark. He is now employed as an assembler and machinist, working on vertical milling machines. \u201cI have been with the company since 1927, and that year Jensen helped to build the first vertical milling machine produced by the company. We build four different types of mills now in several sizes,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I started it was just one type. Now there are four.\u201d\n\nWhen asked for comments on machines made here and in his native country, he said he believed the American product is superior because of better manufacturing equipment.\n\nVictor Horner, 1632 Orange street, who also is an assembler, has been with the company and has done many different operations in the plant. He started here in 1911 and found the work interesting. New products are constantly being developed. It is different work than in a mass production shop. \u201cThis is particular work that requires extreme accuracy,\u201d he said.\n\nAsked if he would choose the machinist trade to do all over again, he answered in the affirmative.\n\nA 26-Year Veteran.\n\nFrank Davis, 1416 Main street, Racine, who operates a lathe now, but has 26 years of service with the company and has done almost all operations in the plant. When interviewed he was working on the die cutting machine.\n\n\u201cFor the shop company at Madison, I have seen tool machines develop a lot in a quarter of a century,\u201d he said, \u201cand with an increase in speed has come a parallel increase in accuracy.\u201d\n\nOscar Mahnke, 1408 Pratt street, another veteran (brother of Allen Mahnke who plays center on the Wisconsin university football team), has been with Gorton\u2019s since 1924, and a machinist since 1914. He was working at that straight-up to reach settings to the specified thousandths. \u201cThe remarkable thing to me is that this plant has grown since the depression, while so many others have gone [through] the worst business slump in history. The Gorton plant now is one of the largest in the tool industry and it is very prosperous.\u201d\n\nPhoto caption (duplicating machine): A RESULT OF MECHANICAL GENIUS is this duplicating machine being operated by Robert Lunn, 2413 Lindermann avenue, an employe of the Gorton Machine company for the last 10 years. The machine, a comparatively recent development, duplicates dies in any size required. Lunn demonstrates operation of the machine to visiting buyers who were in the Gorton plant, and was one of those at the Cleveland machine tool show a few weeks ago, where the Racine firm sold all of its exhibited machines that hadn\u2019t been sold beforehand.\n\nA veteran of 21 years with the company is Frank Klema, 1515 LaSalle street, operating boring and milling machines. He has operated practically every machine in the shop, he said. \u201cI have watched developments of the tool industry since I started, and believe that the improvement of the last 15 years in tool machines is so great that dies and molds can now play a very important part in the mass production and merchandising of a wide variety of products of American manufacturers,\u201d he declared.\n\nPride of Workmanship.\n\nOtto Schloes, 1192 Prospect street, another employee who expressed pride in the company\u2019s products. He is a craftsman and referred to the need of precision. When interviewed he was working on a circular table for a milling machine that takes three days to complete. He said that while there is a scarcity of skilled workmen in the tool machine trade, the Gorton company is particular.\n\nEmil Falkenhuth, 1418 Frank street, who is a machinist in training to do assembly work, has been with the company about eight years, tracing that some 30 new products have been added and employment more than doubled, he commented.\n\nErnest Falkenhuth, 1418 Frank street, is the oldest employee in point of service in the shop. He began as a Gorton employee in 1904 and did all kinds of machine work for the long line of products developed during that period. Now he is still a machinist.\n\n\u201cTool machines have improved wonderfully, and as a result manufacturers now demand the very finest of dies and molds, and do their engraving. The Racine company enjoys a good reputation in the industry, indicated that we are able to meet their demands.\u201d\n\nThe Gorton company was founded in 1893 by George Gorton, Sr., who is still its active head. Three sons\u2014George Jr., James and Robert\u2014are associated with him.\n\nPhoto caption (grinder): GRINDING WITH ACCURACY\u2014Harold Nelson, Route 1, Racine, is shown at this big surface grinder in the Gorton shop. He is grinding hardened steel bars for special ball races, and he commented on the accuracy necessary of the delicate work to be performed by the machine he is helping to make. Nelson has been with the company only about four months, but he has been grinding for nine years.\" class=\"wp-image-7041\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The_Journal_Times_1935_10_28_18-business-is-good-at-the-gorton-827x1024.jpg 827w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The_Journal_Times_1935_10_28_18-business-is-good-at-the-gorton-242x300.jpg 242w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The_Journal_Times_1935_10_28_18-business-is-good-at-the-gorton-768x951.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The_Journal_Times_1935_10_28_18-business-is-good-at-the-gorton-1240x1536.jpg 1240w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The_Journal_Times_1935_10_28_18-business-is-good-at-the-gorton-1654x2048.jpg 1654w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cBusiness Is Good\u201d at the Gorton Machine Company. Racine Journal-Times, October 28, 1935.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The George Gorton Machine Company: Business operations How the engraving was possible: http:\/\/www.engraversjournal.com\/article.php\/14\/index.html<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":33,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1635","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1635"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7043,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1635\/revisions\/7043"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}