The Salem News, Monday, January 4, 1988
The American Resinous Chemical Co. was located at 103 Foster Street, Peabody, from 1942 to 1953.
Ashworth N. Stull and his colleagues at the Company were faced with a challenge. They needed to invent a flexible liquid adhesive out of polymers, before their competitors at DuPont did.
After 800 attempts, in August of 1942, Stull took a short break, got married and went on his honeymoon. Upon his return, he realized the very last experiment he did before his trip was a huge success- what we now know as “Elmer’s Glue.”
Sadly, the American Resinous Chemical Co. is also well-known for another reason. The American Polymer Corp. was an affiliate of American Resinous, and its plant was located at 101 Foster Street Rear. At 1:55 PM, on April 30, 1953, the plant exploded.
The Boston Daily Globe May 1, 1953
The Boston Daily Globe May 1, 1953
The Boston Daily Globe May 1, 1953
30 people were injured, and 1 person died, Frederick Lawson of Salem. Lawson was a Navy veteran, husband to Charlotte Lawson, and father to 3 children – Edward, Janice and Emmett.
After the fire, the Company was acquired by Borden Chemicals.